Unlikely Partners
by Dafina
Summary: A Post Half Blood Prince Hermione and Severus romance with a little side of RLNT. Full summary inside. An original story with multiple plot twists.
1. Prologue

**Summary: **Hermione discovers that Severus Snape is not the murdering traitor he appears to be. But what secret is he hiding? What did Dumbledore and the rest of the Order members know about Severus that made him so utterly trustworthy? When Hermione is thrown into a situation where she has to spend quite a lot of time with her former professor, will she discover the truth about his past?

**Rating: **M for swearing, scenes of a sexual nature, and violence.

**Pairing: **Hermione/Severus

**Disclaimer: **I do not take credit for anything associated with Harry Potter. No financial profit is being made.

**Unlikely Partners**

**Prologue**

Hermione stared into her former potions professor's mahogany brown eyes, her facial expression full of indecision. Harry wasn't far behind her and it was only a matter of minutes before he reached the spot where Hermione was now standing.

"Miss Granger, hear me out . . ."

Hermione held Severus Snape's gaze unblinkingly. Her conscience told her that only an utter fool would trust the man against the wall before her.

He was a traitor. He was a murderer.

And injured as he now was, Hermione had the perfect opportunity to see that he got what Dumbledore's killer deserved. And yet, she made no move to raise her wand at his prone form.

Gods, she must be insane. Given everything Severus Snape had done, surely the man deserved to die a very painful death. But as Hermione raked her gaze over his bleeding body she couldn't bring herself to hurt him without being absolutely certain of his guilt.

_Harry saw him kill Dumbledore, what more proof could you possibly need!_

Was she truly crazy?

_It's not possible for him to be innocent._

She had to look at the situation rationally. There was no way that Severus could be innocent of the crimes everyone believed he had committed. The man in front of her was a cold hearted villain who only cared about ensuring Voldemort's power. He was evil incarnate and the suggestion that he was anything else wasn't even worth thinking about.

Or was it?

If he only cared about Voldemort's survival, why was the area on his arm where the mark burned entirely bloody, as if he had scraped the black symbol of the dark lord off his skin?

Could there be some explanation for his actions that she hadn't yet considered?

"You don't have much time to explain to me why Harry shouldn't come and kill you where you stand. But while he's still on his way, I'll listen to what you have to say," She told him, locking her eyes on his.

Severus swallowed and opened his mouth to speak, but Hermione never heard what he was going to say.

Hermione's eyes snapped open and the dream ended. She was in her hotel room in Washington D.C. where she was vacationing with her parents after the horrific ending of her sixth year at Hogwarts. The glowing green alarm clock on the wooden night stand read 2:37 a.m. Hermione exhaled forcefully and turned her pillow over to the cooler side before settling back down beneath the blankets.

It had been a month since she had left school and she was still having the same dream. She had started having them less than a week after she left Hogwarts.

At first she had dismissed them. After all, people had strange dreams all the time and it was almost never that they actually meant anything. But still, after nearly four full weeks of having the same dream every night, she had to start to wonder.

Hermione didn't understand it, then again, she wasn't sure she even wanted to understand it.

Severus Snape, innocent of betraying the Order and killing Dumbledore in cold blood?

What was she thinking?

Severus Snape and the word 'innocent' shouldn't even be in the same sentence.

Perhaps if she reminded herself enough that it was impossible for Severus Snape to be a man of morals after Harry witnessed him remorselessly murder Dumbledore in the Astronomy Tower, she would finally put an end to these strange dreams she was having.

_Severus Snape is a sociopath and is just as evil as his master Voldemort, _she told herself firmly.

Hermione closed her eyes and forced all thoughts of Severus Snape from her mind. But like every night before, she couldn't manage to free her mind of the arrogant and enigmatic man.

Fighting back the urge to groan out loud in sheer frustration, Hermione rolled onto her back and stared at the room's ceiling.

If these dreams kept happening for much longer, Hermione feared she _would_ go crazy, even if only from lack of sleep alone. As she waited to feel drowsy enough to fall asleep once more, she could only hope that the dreams would stop soon.

If they didn't, she wasn't sure what she would do.

**A/N:** And that's the end of the prologue. I hope you all enjoyed it. I definitely enjoyed writing it. Please don't be a silent reader, you're comments mean a lot to me, even if it's just a short "I liked it" or "I didn't like it" kind of thing. Many thanks to all those who do decide to review, as all your opinions are much appreciated. I'll try to post the next chapter within the next week.


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I don't take credit for anything associated with Harry Potter. No financial profit is being made.

**Chapter 2**

A crackling fire illuminated the study in a warm golden glow, casting long shadows on its burgundy walls. A thin man sat behind a polished onyx desk, its surface shining like black liquid mercury in the light.

The man at the desk was of an undeterminable age. His jet black hair bore no sign of gray, and was indicative of a man still in his prime. His locks hung just above the nape of his neck, with shorter strands curling around his ears.

His high cheek bones and straight nose were the patrician features of a high born lord. He would have been handsome, had it not been for the sickly white pallor of his skin and the unnatural color of his irises.

His skin looked as if he hadn't seen the light of sun in years. It was as if the man was stricken with some sort of anemia. No healthy mortal could have that white of skin.

The man sat reading through several sheets of parchment, a short glass of liquid in his left hand.

A soft yet firm knock sounded from behind the room's oak door.

"Enter," the man called out, with more than a hint of a rasp in his voice. He looked up from the report he had been perusing and the firelight reflected off of his irises, their color an unnatural mixture of brown, garnet red, and crimson.

Another man entered, dressed in a black turtleneck and dark jeans. He too had long black hair, his, curling just above his shoulders. His eyes were such a dark brown, they were nearly black.

Unlike the man sitting behind the desk, this newcomer had warm toned skin. Though past his youth, he was a man who aged well. And the lines around his eyes and mouth that revealed his forty years of age were faint.

"You came quickly," the man behind the desk remarked.

The other man nodded slightly.

"I was not far away, milord."

"With you unable to perform magic while the Ministry and the Order of the Phoenix are still in hot pursuit of you for murdering Dumbledore, I expected you to take much longer,"

"Muggle transportation isn't as inefficient as some of our kind like to think," the man in the turtleneck replied.

"I suppose not. Though I am curious, how did you manage to get here so quickly?"

"I simply rented an automobile."

The man behind the desk raised a brow.

"I wasn't aware that you'd learnt how to operate an automobile, Severus,"

"It was something I learned after the incident in Godric's Hollow, milord. As a precaution to allow me to slip into the Muggle population unnoticed if the Ministry was after pursuing Death Eaters more persistently."

The man behind the desk nodded.

"Have a seat, Severus. There is something important I wish to discuss with you,"

Severus pulled out the leather chair in front of the fire and sat down.

The pale man fixed his gaze on Severus's eyes.

"Potter knows about my horcruxes, Severus. I can sense it."

"What would you have me do, milord?"

The pale man's thin lips broke into a tight smile.

"Obviously I cannot have him go gallivanting about in search of the remaining horcruxes, especially the new ones I created to replace the first few that were destroyed. I must find a way to keep him close to home."

"Not an easy task, if I may say so milord," Severus said to him.

"No. No it's certainly not. But . . ."

The man took a sip from the glass he was holding, before he continued.

"Potter _does _have certain attachments to a couple of his female peers, does he not?"

"Yes, milord."

"What do you think he would do if something happened to one of the chits?"

"What exactly are you thinking of?"

"Kidnapping and extortion," the pale man said with a kind devilish excitement in his tone.

"If you have one of Potter's friends, you will succeed in forcing him to comply with your demands. The idea sounds plausible," Severus told the man before him.

"I'm pleased you agree. I wanted to ask you which girl would be the most appropriate choice,"

Severus did not reply for a period of seconds.

"There are two girls Potter is close to, milord. Genevra Weasley and Hermione Granger. The Weasley girl's abduction would attract a great deal of attention at the Ministry and getting her would take a great deal of effort. Granger is a muggleborn, and though she is extremely clever, I would choose her instead as the Ministry won't respond as forcefully to her kidnapping. Getting her here wouldn't be that difficult, I don't think. Her house won't be warded, either."

"Good. I was hoping you would be able to provide a suggestion. Do you know the Granger girl lives?"

"Of course milord. I taught the girl for five years, and due to her unusual aptitude at potions I read her file just a few weeks after she started at the school."

"Excellent. Would I be going too far in assuming that you would be able to bring her here, yourself?"

Severus exhaled and briefly considered the man's question.

"I am confident I could do it. But how long are you going to give me to complete the task?"

"I want her here as promptly as possible."

"Of course, milord."

"Certainly a man of your cunning and knowledge won't need more than a week to do as I've asked?"

"No, milord. A week should be an adequate amount of time."

"Splendid," the said softly, his voice unnervingly sinister. He gave Severus a villainous grin.

"Perhaps, I can add a bit of an incentive for you to work quickly. If you can get the girl here before this time next week, you may keep her for your enjoyment," the pale man told him with a dark glint in his eyes.

Severus eyes lit up with interest.

"You'd let me use her whenever I wanted?"

"Yes. Call her a reward for getting rid of Dumbledore for me."

"You are too kind milord,"

The pale man laughed darkly.

"You may take your leave. Surely you have plans to make."

"Certainly, milord." Severus said a close-lipped smile.

He pushed back from the desk and bowed formerly to his master. The man sitting at the desk had gone back to reading and didn't watch as Severus Snape exited his personal study.

Lord Voldemort had other pressing matters to attend to.

It was dusk by the time Severus arrived at the lower middle class flat in London's wizarding quarter. He rapped smartly on the green door, hoping the flat's occupant would be at home and answer.

A minute passed and then two. Severus knocked again, this time all but banging on the door in his desperate desire to speak to the flat's owner. He waited another full minute before deciding to give up. Severus was just about to turn around and head back to the car park a block away where his black sedan sat. But a split second before he moved to turn away the door to the flat opened, to reveal the shirtless and slightly disheveled form of Remus Lupin.

There was stretch of silence before either of the men said anything.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Remus demanded in a tone that was more surprised than angry. "We agreed that you weren't going to come here,"

Severus was about to open his mouth to answer when a female voice called out from inside the flat.

"Remus, who is it?"

It was the voice of Nymphadora Tonks. Severus swallowed. Apparently he had caught the werewolf at a really bad time. But then, what else could he have done?"

"It's urgent I speak with you, Remus." Severus told him imploringly.

"I suppose you want to come in?" Remus asked.

"I think it would be best,"

Remus nodded. He held the door open for Severus to enter the flat.

"This had better be important," Remus almost growled at him.

"I assure you, Remus, it is." Severus said to him before crossing the door's threshold. "I need your help now more than ever."

**A/N: Sorry for such a long wait! I know this chapter is kind of short, but I think you'll enjoy it. I'll definitely be updating monthly as I'm starting college, but I will try my hardest to update more frequently than that if I am able. Please leave a review as they are all greatly appreciated.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not take credit for anything associated with Harry Potter. No financial profit is being made.

**A/N: **I've given Tonks a new nickname. But if you don't like it, don't worry, it's only a pet name Remus uses for her and probably won't come up much in the story. Also, the first page or so may be a tiny bit confusing, but if you stay with it and read to the end of the chapter things should definitely be less confusing to you, I promise.

**Unlikely Partners**

**Chapter 2**

Severus stepped into Remus's flat and Remus shut the door behind him. The werewolf faced Severus with

a steely expression in his green eyes.

"All right, Severus. You have my attention," Remus stated curtly.

"The matter I need to discuss with you isn't something we can be done with quickly. Bring Nymphadora out here before I tell you why I had to show up like this," Severus said to him.

"FAHDEE!" Remus yelled, "There's someone here who wants to speak to the both of us."

The two men stood in tense silence for several seconds. Then, a woman dressed in a lavender silk robe and dark jeans came out of a room towards the back of the apartment. Her gray eyes lit up with surprise when she saw who was standing next to Remus. She shot Remus a quick look before turning her gaze back on Hogwarts former potions master. She moved to stand next to Remus and he instinctively wrapped his arm around her waist protectively as if he was wary of Severus.

"Now you can say what you came here to say," Remus told him.

"Voldemort is aware that Potter wishes to destroy his horcruxes. The two still have an involuntary mental connection, and Voldemort can see Potter's unconscious thoughts when he's asleep. Voldemort has only retained his human form since the beginning of this year. He must sleep now, as a mortal does to retain energy, but he is now completely invulnerable to physical harm of any kind, meaning, Potter could try to cast the killing curse on him a hundred times, and even if Potter had the purest, strongest magical strength for the spell to be cast, Voldemort would be completely unaffected. Voldemort will remain in this state unless the fragments of his soul are all found and subsequently destroyed.

"Now that Voldemort knows Potter's intentions, he will stop at nothing to ensure that Potter is no longer a threat to him. He has ordered me to take a Hermione Granger hostage to prevent Potter from going in search of the horcruxes."

Neither Remus nor Nymphadora immediately responded.

"Understand that if I don't bring her to Voldemort, he'll ask another one of his Death Eaters to do it, and sooner or later one of them will succeed in the task.

"Not to mention that if I fail, you'll be powerless to resist Fenrir's Summoning," Severus added softly. "You know he has been wondering why you haven't caved yet. I assure you the dumb bastard has no idea I've been providing you with a potion to block his persuasive powers over you."

Remus glared at him and he opened his mouth to reply, but Severus interrupted him.

"Miss Granger will not be harmed. Voldemort is under the impression that I want her for enjoyment and is content to let me do whatever I want with her. You have to believe me when I tell you that I will see to her safety."

"I don't see how I have a choice," Remus said icily.

Ever since Fenrir Greyback had joined forces with Voldemort, in exchange for his loyalty, Voldemort gave the depraved werewolf a new set of startling powers. Fenrir now had the power to mentally call each werewolf he had created and will them to become inhuman and sadistic allies of the Dark Lord. He could partially control the werewolf's he hadn't created, but the power he had over his own werewolves was absolute. Severus's prowess at potions had enabled him to create a new variation of the wolfsbane potion that saved Remus from Fenrir's control. Remus owed Severus his trust now because the former Hogwarts potions master had developed the new potion to make sure Remus kept his sanity. Severus, since he was the one who invented the new potion, was the only person who knew how to successfully brew it.

He and Remus were now permanently linked, and it was in Remus's best interest for Severus to stay in Voldemort's good graces. For if Severus was unable to make Remus's potion . . . If Severus was thrown into Voldemort's new prison, or worse, killed for incompetence at obeying an order . . . Remus would be susceptible to manipulation by Fenrir Greyback.

The majority of London's werewolves were now living in the catacombs below Voldemort's new mansion. Those who hadn't yet been affected by Fenrir's new powers of persuasion were being forced into quarantine by the Ministry. The quarantine was like a more sterile version of Azkaban, and those who were forced to endure it were hardly treated any better than a common criminal of Azkaban.

Remus had avoided the quarantine because his contacts at the Ministry who knew him, namely Arthur Weasley and Kingsley Shacklebolt, had successfully completed a highly illegal midnight mission to destroy Remus's werewolf registration papers. The Ministry now had no proof that Remus Lupin was a werewolf, and as a result, he had been able to slip beneath the Ministry's radar.

The Ministry also had quite a price on Severus Snape's head. Aurors had searched all possible places they could think of, including Voldemort's old preferred location of command, the Riddle House. But when aurors arrived at the old estate, Voldemort and his group of high ranking Death Eaters, of which Severus held the uppermost position, were long gone and no matter what detection spells the Ministry employed, no one had any idea where the Dark Lord and his followers may have moved to.

The thought that Severus was living as a Muggle without using any magic accept what very little he used from within himself when brewing his potions never crossed the Ministry employees minds. As Arthur Weasley liked to say, using one of his favorite Muggle expressions, the majority of the people working at the Ministry didn't think outside the box.

Regarding Dumbledore's death, almost all the adults in the Order of the Phoenix knew the truth of what had happened. The reality was Dumbledore had been slowly dying ever since he destroyed Voldemort's second horcrux. Dumbledore had called an emergency meeting of the Order once he had learned of this, but Dumbledore, being the altruistic man that he was, always believed sacrifices for the greater good were important when they were the best option that one had.

Dumbledore knew Draco's task was to kill him. How he knew, he hadn't divulged, and people hadn't asked given the gravity of the situation. Dumbledore was worried that Voldemort would attack in full force when he saw that Dumbledore had weakened enough to the point of posing absolutely no threat to him. If Voldemort found out that Dumbledore was weak, he would jump at the chance to finish the war once and for all. While he was still strong, Dumbledore had been creating dozens of protection spells on the castle and its inhabitants, spells only he could create and maintain. If Voldemort noticed the strength of those spells diminishing, he would have the greatest advantage in being able to conquer the school and its inhabitants without much of a fight.

So instead, Dumbledore told them all that he had to die before he was so weakened he wouldn't be able to do anything against Voldemort in an outright attack on the school.. He was adamant that Voldemort himself would lead the assault on Hogwarts once he learned Dumbledore was close to death. So instead, he orchestrated an alternate outcome, where he would die before his powers vanished, and the students would be able to be evacuated once his personal spells were gone. If Dumbledore died while he was still strong, his spells would continue to last for a short period of time after his death, almost as strong as they had been when he was alive

Dumbledore had told Severus that he had to kill him, to the shock and horror of everyone in the Order. Dumbledore's reasoning behind this morbid request had been this: By killing him, Severus would secure his position as Voldemort's right hand man, and would no longer be suspected of harboring some sort of loyalty to the Order of the Phoenix. Also, though he hadn't proclaimed it to everyone in the Order, Dumbledore told Remus that Severus would be able to continue to brew the altered wolfsbane potion as a Death Eater as some of the ingredients were only found on the black market. Appearing to be a true blue Death Eater would work in Severus's favor when he went to obtain what he needed to make Remus's potion. No one would think twice about him buying illegal ingredients if they thought him to be a Death Eater. If Voldemort suspected Severus of being loyal to the Order he would investigate what Severus was doing more closely, and if he found out that Severus was brewing a potion to save Remus, both Severus and Remus would be in danger. The best option for everything to work out was for Severus to look like a loyal Death Eater, and to make that appearance convincing, what better way to do it than by having Severus appear to murder Voldemort's most powerful enemy?

Also, the Ministry had to think that Severus had killed Dumbledore in cold blood. There could be no possible way for the truth to leak to Voldemort or one of his other spies. After Severus had done the deed, the world had to perceive him as what he pretended to be. This was agreed upon to ensure both Severus's and Remus's safety.

The other thing agreed upon at the meeting was that Harry had to think that Severus was the killer. He and Voldemort still had some connections even Dumbledore couldn't understand and if Harry knew the truth and unwittingly mentally transferred the truth to Voldemort, Severus and Remus would be hunted down. The former would be killed after being tortured sadistically, and the latter would be forced to become a heartless killer. Before the meeting had ended, Dumbledore had made certain everyone knew what part they had to play in the act to make Harry think Severus was a traitor. Dumbledore had helped them all decide what exactly they would say to Harry and what they would say when they felt he could be listening in on their conversations.

In the end, the plan had been executed as smoothly as anyone could have hoped. Harry wholeheartedly believed Severus was a murderous traitor, and harbored an extreme desire to personally make him pay for what he had done.

Making it look like Severus was holding Hermione hostage would only add to Harry's inner rage.

Nymphadora met Severus's gaze.

"How long do you expect this situation to last?" she inquired softly.

"I can't say. In all honesty, it could be for quite awhile,"

"Two months? Six months? Surely you don't expect her to stay with you indefinitely?" she asked.

"I don't know."

"What are you planning on doing if Hermione refuses to pretend to be your personal hostage?" Remus asked seriously.

"Truthfully, right now, I'm going to pretend that possibility doesn't exist. I _need_ her to agree to this. I was also hoping that you would talk to her for me and get her to agree to it."

"Yeah I'll be a lot of help because I have so much experience at convincing teenaged girls to pretend to be the hostage of someone they believe is a traitor and murderer." Remus said dryly.

"Perhaps I could talk to her?" Nymphadora ventured. "She might be more apt to agree if a woman asks her to do it. No offense Remus, but if you show up at her house alone, you may inadvertently intimidate her,"

"Hey if you want to drop the bomb on Hermione, be my guest. I don't want any part in this, though something tells me you'll want me around if she has questions for me."

"Severus, do you have Hermione's address?"

"I'll write it down for you before I leave,"

Nymphadora nodded. She glanced at the brass clock on the mantle.

"It's rather late. I'd like to wait until tomorrow morning to pay her a visit."

"Let's hope she'll be home."

"If she's not, I'll be able to do an advanced locating spell at the office." she told him. "Mind you, it's frowned upon unless in the case of an extreme emergency, but I'd say this constitutes as one,"

Remus let out a long sigh and pulled Nymphadora against it, placing a kiss on the top of her head.

"Thanks, love."

Nymphadora smiled up at him, coloring slightly at her lover's display of affection in Severus's presence. Severus took that as his cue to leave. He went over to the escritoire beneath the flat's window and wrote Hermione's address on a pad of paper.

"I assume that tomorrow you can get to a telephone. The number written after Miss Granger's address is my pager number."

Remus snorted.

"You have a pager?"

Severus gave him a withering look.

"How do you expect me to keep in touch with people like you without using magic?"

"Still, I would have thought such inferior Muggle technology was beneath you,"

Nymphadora gently elbowed Remus in the ribs. He gave her a look sidelong look turning her and encircling his arms around her slim waist. He tightened his grip and Nymphadora let out a little yelp, as he grinned devilishly as his captive.

"Severus hasn't left yet!" she hissed.

"But he's on his way out the door," he told her in a low voice before raising his voice to call out good night to Severus. The door shut loudly, and Remus's sensitive ears detected Severus's footsteps jogging down the concrete steps.

"And now he's gone," Remus told Nymphadora with a predatory smile. "And you my girl, are all alone with me,"

"Oh no, whatever will I do?" she asked him coyly.

"I'm sure I can come up with a few things," Remus told her before kissing her fully on the mouth. Nymphadora laughed into his mouth before the two of them slowly made their way back to the bedroom to finish what they had been doing before Severus had arrived.

**A/N: **Did you like this chapter? Even if you didn't, I'd appreciate it if you'd leave me a review letting me know what you thought of it.

And thank you to those of you who added me to your favorites list!

I hope to get the next chapter up in the next couple of weeks.


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I do not take credit for anything associated with Harry Potter. No financial profit is being made.

**A/N: **For the reviewer who wanted to know how Tonks's nickname relates to her real name, the name Fahdee comes from the letters phad in her name. I changed the ph to f cause I think it looks better on paper that way. Hopefully this answers any questions people may have had about this. :-)

**Unlikely Partners**

**Chapter 3**

Hermione lounged on the beige leather sofa in her house's sitting room with a glass bowl of jelly beans

in front of her. She had just opened another bag from her secret stash, and as this was her parents' first day back to work since going on vacation in America, it was Hermione's first opportunity to enjoy the sugary sweets she kept hidden from her mother and father. Being dentists, they would have frowned upon her eating them for breakfast. At least her father would. Her mother would undoubtedly be more understanding, especially since she knew how strong a woman's cravings for something sweet during certain days of the month could be.

Hermione's attention was fixed on the television screen. Having missed her favorite program last night due to the fact that she had had to pick her cousin up from dance practice, she was now watching the episode of _Murder in Suburbia_ her mother had recorded for her.

She was just about to fast forward through the first commercial when the doorbell rang. Hermione looked quickly to the front door. It was only a quarter to eleven, and she could not think of who would be calling this early. Perplexed, Hermione got up and hurried over to the door, peaking out of the narrow window next to it before reaching for the doorknob.

Nymphadora Tonks stood on her front porch, giving a quick glance to her watch before folding her hands behind her back and waiting for the door to open.

Hermione opened the door and was momentarily at a loss for words.

Tonks gave her an easy smile.

"I didn't wake you, did I?" she asked, noticing that Hermione was still in her orange and pink pajamas.

"No, . . . No, you didn't. I was watching television,"

"May I come in?" Tonks asked politely.

"Of course," Hermione told her quickly, suddenly feeling incredibly dumb for staring mutely at Tonks as if she was an utter simpleton. "Forgive me for being so surprised," Hermione said as the older woman stepped over the threshold. "Your visit's caught me a bit off guard. Is everything all right?"

Tonks took off her pair of plimsolls and looked at Hermione.

"Well, . . . perhaps we can sit down?"

Hermione lead Tonks into the sitting room and promptly switched off the television.

Tonks sat in the cream easy chair across from the sofa. Hermione sat on the sofa, facing her.

"First," Tonks began. "Have you talked to Harry recently?"

"It's been about two weeks. I returned here from vacation in the U.S. just a few days ago."

"Have you two spoken much about what's happened?"

Hermione didn't have to ask Tonks to clarify what exactly she was referring to. She knew the auror could only be referring to one event.

Hermione swallowed and stared straight into Tonks's eyes.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Hermione, . . . There are several things The Order is aware of regarding recent events . . . things The Order purposefully kept from Harry, you, and Ron." Tonks told her delicately.

Hermione blinked, narrowing her eyes in consideration of the auror's words.

"Before I tell you what that information is, you must promise me that you won't breathe a word of it to anyone." said Tonks seriously.

Hermione gave Tonks a sharp look.

"I'm sorry, but it's very hard for me to give you my word that I'll keep this secret when I have no idea what this information has to do with, or what it involves."

Tonks looked down and busied herself with straightening the cuff of her black blouse, while she decided how she would respond.

After a period of seconds, Tonks raised her gaze to Hermione.

"I've come here to tell you the truth about Severus Snape," the auror told her simply. "But . . . before I say anything more, I'd really like to have your word that what I say stays between you and me."

Hermione felt a fleeting somersaulting sensation in her stomach at Tonks's words. Could the dreams she had been constantly plagued with actually be based in truth?

"Why are you only telling me this? Why aren't you telling Harry and Ron as well?"

Tonks let out a forceful exhalation.

"It's a very complicated situation. If I told Harry what I'm about to tell you, his involuntary mental connection to Voldemort could alert Voldemort to the truth and then he would have such an advantage that we'd all pretty much be screwed," Tonks said bluntly, shocking Hermione at her choice of words. "What I'm trying to say, is that it is imperative that Harry does not find out what the Order knows about Severus Snape."

"If that's the way it has to be then I won't tell him anything about our conversation,"

"Good. Now, do you remember seeing anything different in Dumbledore's appearance at the beginning of the year?"

"His hand was partially blackened,"

"From destroying one of Voldemort's horcruxes. Harry has told you what they are, I expect?"

Hermione nodded.

"Albus hid it well, but his hand wasn't the only part of him damaged from his work at destroying the ring that contained part of Voldemort's soul."

"But Harry saw him several times during the year and never said anything about him being any more injured beyond the obvious damage to his hand,"

"You wouldn't have noticed anything was wrong by looking at him. The damage that was affecting him the most was internal, not external."

"What do you mean?"

"Surely you've heard of hemorrhagic fever?"

Hermione nodded.

"It liquifies the organs and death is caused from massive internal bleeding." she told Tonks.

"Albus was afflicted with a sort of illness like it, but the time it took to run its course was much slower than the Muggle diseases you are familiar with." the auror explained to her. "But though this illness took longer to weaken him, death was the inevitable outcome."

Hermione's eyes grew large at the auror's statement. Tonks thought Hermione looked ready to say something and held up her hand to prevent her from speaking.

"Albus Dumbledore's own personal magic was the one single thing that was preventing Voldemort from taking over the school. Now, as the illness progressed the strength of his spells on the castle was proportionate to the strength of his body. The sicker he became, the less effective his enchantments on the school would become. Albus kept his illness very well hidden, and I can only imagine how hard it must have been for him to endure it in silence. Voldemort has no idea Albus was stricken with a fatal illness. If he knew, or even suspected, he would have concentrated on taking the school with everything he had. And had he done that . . . while Albus was weakened in the late stages of the disease and powerless to stop him, a lot of people would be dead and Voldemort would be ruling Britain's magical community.

"Albus feared that Voldemort would sense his weakness once his protection on the school began to fade. So, he devised a complex plan to ensure that Voldemort would never find out about his illness and Severus Snape would secure a position amongst the Death Eaters where he would never again be the subject of suspicion. You see, if Dumbledore died before the illness ended his life, his spells on the school would last for a few days longer than the day he died, because his essence was healthy enough to maintain them temporarily until the school could be evacuated. If he had been killed when he had little or no strength left his spells would have ceased to exist the moment he died. Dumbledore held a meeting of the Order of the Phoenix and told Severus he had to make it look like he murdered him. And he had to do this before Albus entered into the last stages of the disease. Albus had this meeting with the Order _before _Severus made the Unbreakable Vow. Severus was going to do the deed, Unbreakable Vow or no. It was a . . . coincidence . . . that Narcissa asked Severus to make the vow, and it only helped his credibility."

"Good God," Hermione breathed. "Professor Snape didn't murder Dumbledore. But if he's innocent, as you say, why is the Ministry looking for him to arrest him for murder?"

Tonks gave Hermione a droll stare.

"Think Hermione. Voldemort has other spies who could be working at the Ministry. We could take no chances that the truth would be revealed to Voldemort somehow, so we had to make the Ministry think Severus murdered Albus. Severus is now living without magic because the Ministry has ways of tracing any magic he performs."

"Severus must feel so awful," Hermione whispered, as she absorbed everything Tonks had said.

Tonks didn't immediately reply.

"Actually, . . . Severus, because he bears the Dark Mark, doesn't feel emotions the way we do. He cannot experience sorrow the way you or I can. The Dark mark prevents him from feeling emotions Voldemort deems unnecessary. He cannot feel sadness, sorrow, regret, or grief. He cannot feel joy, or happiness. Lust is the closest thing he will ever come to love . . ." Tonks told her in a barely audible voice. "But unlike other Death Eaters, his heart's not made of stone,"

Hermione stilled at what Tonks was telling her. She had finally learned one of the reasons why her former potions professor had seemed like such a terrible person. And to think she thought it was because he chose to behave that way . . . and everyone ridiculed him to no end for it. The realization made her slightly sick. And there was something more, something akin to pity but more respectful flowed through her, compassion perhaps? Any man who could stoically lead such a life had to possess more fortitude and strength than anyone who dared to laugh at him.

Hermione quickly turned her attention back to Tonks before she let her mind drift to far.

"Another thing you need to know is that Fenrir Greyback was given new powers by Voldemort, powers that allow him to control any person he turned into a werewolf. Remus was bitten by Fenrir when he was a child, and had it not been for Severus, who came up with an altered form of the wolfsbane potion to prevent Remus from being manipulated by Fenrir, Remus would be forced into quarantine right now."

There was a stretch of silence.

"Tonks?"

"Hmmm?"

"I appreciate you letting me in on what's going on, I really do, but I have to wonder why you've decided to so suddenly come here and talk to me,"

Tonks looked away and let out a short laugh.

"I was wondering if you'd ask that,"

"Can you please tell me why you did, now?"

"You're really not going to like it,"

"I can only assume it has something to do with lying to Harry and Ron,"

Tonks gave her a wry smile.

"It does, only you won't be the one lying to them,"

Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"Voldemort wants reassurance that Harry won't try to find his horcruxes,"

"But"– Hermione began.

"Please!" Tonks told her, holding up both hands to silence her. "I don't know how he suspects this, I guess it's from the involuntary connection he and Harry share, but Voldemort wants to take something of Harry's to make sure Harry won't go off on some kind of journey to look for the horcruxes."

"Harry told me he wants to do exactly that,"

Tonks let out another single laugh and shook her head.

"That doesn't surprise me," she told Hermione before suddenly sobering. "But unfortunately, this time at least, Voldemort has to get what he wants,"

"What? Why?" Hermione asked shocked.

Tonks leveled her gaze on Hermione's eyes.

"Because he's personally asked Severus to deliver the thing he wants to him. If Severus fails, he will be severely punished, even if he's now Voldemort's most trusted man. If Severus gets tortured for angering Voldemort, he won't be able to make Remus's potion. Even if someone else could brew the potion, Severus is the only person I would trust to make the potion. And Remus _needs_ that potion. So to make sure Severus is able to brew it, he must not fail in the task Voldemort has given him."

"What is the task?"

Tonks took a deep breath before answering.

"Voldemort wants you as a hostage," she stated firmly.

Hermione's eyes grew huge, but she didn't say a word.

"Look, it's just a ruse. Severus has promised he'll keep you safe."

"For how long?" Hermione choked out.

"I don't know,"

"How can you not know?" Hermione nearly snapped.

"No one knows how long this could last."

"What, am I supposed to let Voldemort lock me up in some dark cell?"

"No! No, nothing like that! You'll have to share a room with Severus."

"Excuse me?"

Tonks closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Voldemort said Severus could have you," she said to Hermione. She winced, expecting the worst when Hermione replied. The seconds stretched into a minute.

"Please Hermione, say yes. Do it for Remus. Severus must remain above suspicion in Voldemort's eyes so that he can continue to brew Remus's potion. Also, bear in mind that if Severus fails at bringing you back to Voldemort, Voldemort has several other men he can send after you. And if _they_ succeed in capturing you . . ."

"This is too much for me to process at once. I need time to think about it."

"I'm sorry Hermione, but you can't have time to think about it. Voldemort gave Severus less than a week to bring you back to him."

"Bill and Fleur's wedding is next Friday! How will Harry and Ron react if they think Severus kidnapped me? The wedding will be spoiled."

Tonks froze. Apparently that fact had totally slipped her mind. She let out a soft, yet vehement curse, Hermione would have been shocked to hear had she been in a different situation.

"We'll all just have to lie and say you're sick. Everyone besides Harry and Ron knows the truth about Severus."

"But!"--

"We don't have the luxury of time for this!"

Hermione was about to reply, but thought better of it at the last second and shut her mouth.

"What do you expect my parents to say?"

Tonks shrugged.

"You're legally an adult. They're going to have to understand that you need to do this. Though if I were you, I'd omit certain details about what you're doing."

Hermione snorted indignantly.

"Just tell me one thing and I will say yes," she said at length.

"What is it you want to know?"

"What did Severus do to ensure Dumbledore's trust in him?"

Tonks didn't answer.

"Do you know?" Hermione prompted her, when Tonks made no move to reply.

"I'm not going to lie to you. I know you don't want to hear this, but I can't tell you,"

"But you do know?"

"Yes, I do know."

"I don't understand. After everything you've told me, why can't you tell me something as simple as this?"

"Because it's not simple, Hermione."

"I can't agree to do what you're asking me unless you tell me what happened."

"Hermione, no! Don't do this!"

"Look, if you want me to play prisoner, you're going to have to give me a better answer than 'I can't tell you,'" Hermione told her in a defiant tone.

"But it's not up to me to decide who can be told that information," Tonks told her.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I think if you want that question answered, the best person to talk to is Severus Snape," Tonks said quietly. "I can take you to meet him right now, but I can't guarantee that he'll come right out and tell you. Be patient and I'm sure you'll soon find out the truth, like every other member of the Order. But before I take you talk to the man, I need you to agree play along and make Voldemort think your Severus's hostage."

Hermione breathed deeply and stared past Tonks to the yard outside the window. It was beginning to gently drizzle and Hermione watched the tiny raindrops slide down the windowpane as if in silent protest to gravity's control over them.

After a minute or two Hermione fixed her gaze back on the auror in front of her, who was patiently waiting for her to speak.

"I've made my decision."

"And?"

"For Remus's sake. And for Remus's sake only, I will do as you ask,"

Tonks immediately gave her a relieved smile.

"Thank you. I appreciate this more than you know."

"You really love him don't you?" Hermione asked her.

"Yes, I really do," Tonks told her truthfully. "If anything happened to him, . . ."

"You don't have to think about that. I'm going to make sure Severus is able to continue to make Remus's potion."

"I owe you one," Tonks told her seriously.

"No you don't. I want to do this to help Remus."

"Yeah, I owe you one. When this is over, I'll find a way to repay you,"

"Please don't think you have to."

Tonks laughed lightly.

"I'd say this conversation went rather well. Alternatively, you could have said no, and then I would have had to tell you that if Remus missed a potion because Voldemort was torturing Severus, Death Eaters at your door would have been the least of your concerns. You would have me to answer to when I was angry, and that wouldn't have been a pretty picture."

"How could I have said no? Remus shouldn't have to suffer for someone else's actions."

"I'm glad you see it that way, Hermione." Tonks told her appreciatively.

"What are we going to do now?" Hermione asked her.

"Well if you can dash upstairs and put on some clothes to go out in, I thought we'd Apparate over to Remus's place and I'll call Severus to have him come talk to you so that the two of you can work out the details of how this is going to play out."

"Give me five minutes," Hermione told her before she left the room.

Hermione quickly changed into khaki pants and a yellow polo shirt. She brushed her teeth and ran a brush through her hair. As she brushed out a small knot, she thought of what had just transpired.

Severus wasn't a murderer.

She didn't have to wonder if she would have agreed to this so soon if she hadn't had the dreams she'd been having about Severus. She knew that if she never had the dreams, she would have been much more reluctant to say yes. Perhaps now, after so many weeks, the dreams would finally be done.

It was quite a coincidence that she had been having the dreams about Severus being innocent of murdering Dumbledore before Tonks had shown up and dropped this on her. Could it be that somehow they were something more than that?

She didn't see how they could be. But still, they had occurred every night for over a month.

Perhaps if she felt comfortable about talking to him about them, Hermione would tell Severus about the dreams sometime. Perhaps he could tell her why she had been having so many of them. Then again, perhaps not.

Hermione ran the brush through hair a few times more and applied some straightening mousse to her long brown locks.

She looked at herself in the mirror, and satisfied with her appearance, she left the bathroom to return to Tonks, ready to meet the man who was her former potions master and was about to become her captor.

**A/N:** The next chapter won't be coming so quickly. I really wanted to get this one up, so I made time to get it written. Reviews are appreciated. Again, many thanks to everyone who has me on their favorites list.


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I don't take credit for anything associated with Harry Potter. No financial profit is being made.

**Unlikely Partners**

**Chapter 4**

Hermione successfully Apparated to the front door of the London flat Tonks had described to her, as if she

had done so a thousand times before. The rain was coming down harder than before and Tonks pulled the brass key from her purse as quickly as she could before the rain became a torrential downpour.

Once the two women had gotten inside, they found Remus pouring over what appeared to be an ancient tome that couldn't have weighed less than twenty kilos. A rectangular desk light illuminated his reading space and he looked up instantly at the sound of the door closing.

"Hermione!" he exclaimed warmly as she came further into the room. Hermione was perceptive enough to pick up on the note of relief in his voice. She went over to where he was sitting to investigate what he was reading.

"Hullo, Remus. What are you up to?" she asked, eyeing the massive book in front of him.

Remus laughed softly at her characteristic inquisitiveness and angled the text so that she could see the words written on the paper.

"Wow, it's in Latin," she breathed, bending over to scan through some of the words. She knew only a little of the language of the Roman Empire, but she'd always thought that it was one of the most beautiful languages she had ever heard and anything she came across that was in Latin particularly interested her.

"I'm doing research for The Order," Remus informed her. "The first mentioning of horcruxes is found in texts written by the wizards of ancient Rome."

Tonks came over and leaned against the back of Remus's chair.

"Remus was scholarly enough to learn Latin in his youth, so he's been given the job of translating this. Besides Severus, he's the only one in The Order who can read it well enough to understand everything it's saying," she explained to Hermione. "You two look at this while I go into the kitchen to phone Severus to let him know he can come over as soon as he is able,"

Hermione blinked and gave Tonks a quizzical look, but then her expression changed to one of understanding as she remembered what Tonks had said to her earlier.

"A telephone is the only way to reach Severus without using any magic, isn't it?"

"It is. Also Severus needs to be able to contact Remus when his potion is ready to be picked up. This flat had Muggle owners before Remus purchased it, so it already had what was needed to install a telephone. I meant what I said about Severus being unable to use any magic. Even the simplest of spells can lead the Ministry to pinpoint his location. Though Voldemort's new headquarters is completely concealed from the Ministry's eyes, the Ministry can use advanced spells to find out exactly where Severus has been during the day. Once they see a single spell from him, they have spells that allow them to retrace his steps and find the place where he is most vulnerable to being caught. So for the past few weeks, Severus has been living as if he's a Muggle with no knowledge of the magical community,"

Tonks stepped into the kitchen and took the white phone on the wall off of its cradle. She held it to her ear for a few seconds then punched in a number and replaced it on the hook.

"Hermione, can I interest you in a lunch of some kind?" Tonks asked her from inside the kitchen.

"No, thank you," Hermione responded, "I'm not especially hungry at the moment,"

A few seconds later the phone rang and Tonks immediately picked it up. The auror turned away from the doorway to lean against the wall.

"She's talking with Remus right now," Tonks told Severus over the phone. Then after a pause, she let out a little derisive snort. "Did you have any doubts about my ability to convince her?"

Tonks checked quickly to make sure that Hermione was engaged in conversation with Remus before speaking to Severus again. "She wanted me to tell her Dumbledore's reason for trusting you, but I didn't reveal anything." Tonks listened to Severus for several seconds.

"You know, she also mentioned that Bill Weasley's wedding is on Friday," she said pointedly, then laughed lightly at Severus's response. "My thoughts exactly, but it's not like we can't make Harry and Ron think Hermione's home sick,"

"When are you coming here?" she asked. Severus gave her an answer that was to her satisfaction. "Very good, then. I'll see you in a bit,"

Tonks hung the phone back on the wall and returned to the flat's sitting room.

"Severus is coming in half an hour," she announced. "Hermione, do you think you could telephone either your mother or father and let them know what's going on?"

"I think it'd be better if I talked to my mum and dad in person,"

"Yes, but I think you should talk to them now while you're here with us so that in case they have questions, Remus can reassure them about your safety,"

"Hey now!" Remus exclaimed, giving Tonks a sharp look askance.

"Well your parents know you hold Remus in high esteem, right? I mean you've told them about him, haven't you? Especially when he was your teacher third year?"

Hermione eyed the clock above the fireplace. It was just after noon. Her parents had always told her that if ever there was an emergency they would make time in their schedule for her.

"The only thing is, if I talk to them now, they're likely to pull me into a long conversation about it. My mum asks questions more than once when she's stressed out."

"If you have trouble getting them to understand, Remus can talk to them and help convince them you're doing the right thing," Tonks told her seriously.

Hermione looked at Remus and he gave her a thin smile.

"I'll talk to your parents if you want me to,"

"Thanks, it will probably take about fifteen minutes for me to get them up to speed with what's going on. I didn't exactly tell them the full story of what happened at the end of term. But if I need you, I'll let you know,"

Remus nodded as Hermione left the room. He blew out a long sigh and turned to Tonks who was perched on the end of the sofa.

"How much does she know now?" Remus asked.

"Not everything. Nothing about Severus's past,"

"I wonder if she'd still comply if she knew what happened,"

Tonks didn't immediately reply.

"I'm inclined to think she would."

"Did she ask why Albus trusted him?"

"Of course, she asked. And of course, I dodged the subject as best I could,"

"Perhaps she should know the whole truth,"

"Perhaps she should, but we aren't the ones who can give it to her. Only Severus can provide her the answer,"

Remus let out an uncharacteristic snort.

"You actually think there's more than a snowball's chance in hell of him opening up to her like that?"

"Given the gravity of the situation the two of them are in, . . .yes."

"All of us who are senior members of The Order know the truth because Albus's statement, 'he's loyal because I say so,' wasn't going to hold up indefinitely. Order members were bound to question Severus's influence over Albus, and the only way to put their suspicions at rest was to tell them why Severus was completely loyal to Dumbledore. Hermione isn't an Order member, Fahdee," Remus said gently.

"Yes, but she's nothing if not persistent. I highly doubt she'll just drop the subject, especially when she _really_ wants to find out the reason for Severus's loyalty,"

Remus didn't respond, and there was a long stretch of silence. The only sounds were Hermione's voice on the phone and the rain pelting harshly against the window pane.

"This situation can't get any more damnable," Remus muttered bitterly.

"Have you thought about what you're going to tell Harry when he wants us all to help him take action against Voldemort so that he can save Hermione?"

"No, Nymphadora, I can't say that I have,"

"What I hate the most is that Harry will be thinking the absolute worst, and there's not one thing we can do to alleviate his pain and anxiety,"

"God only knows how Voldemort will tell Harry about Hermione's kidnaping," Remus said at length. He raised his gaze to the young auror in front of him. "Or what that bastard will say to make Harry angry,"

"Voldemort won't pass on an opportunity to cause Harry pain, especially when he knows there's no way any of us can rescue Hermione," Tonks said softly.

"He's going to think . . ." Remus trailed off, unable to complete the sentence.

"that Severus is raping Hermione," Tonks finished for him. "I know. And what the hell are we going to tell him?"

"When Harry finds out we've all lied to him about this, he may never trust us again," Remus said quietly.

Tonks made no move to contradict him.

"When is this going to end?" Remus asked, his voice barely more than a whisper. "Sometimes I have to wonder if it ever will . . .You know there's no guarantee that Voldemort will be defeated again. With Albus gone, Voldemort no longer fears the Order."

Seconds passed, stretching into minutes before Tonks spoke again.

"You have to have faith, Remus."

"Yeah? Well I'm beginning to think God's turned his back on us, and he's not coming back to help us anytime soon,"

"Remus . . ."

"What?"

"This won't last forever. You have to believe that,"

"With everything that's happened, it's so hard to believe there will ever be a time where things are different,"

"I know it is. But we have to hold on to hope, because if we lose that, then Voldemort _will_ be able to win,"

Remus kept expecting Hermione to call him into the kitchen to talk to her mother or father on the phone, but minutes passed and Hermione never asked him.

_Either they're taking the news rather well, or else they're too upset to talk to anyone else_, Remus thought dryly. A crisp knock sounded at the door, announcing Severus's arrival. Tonks hurried to the door to let him in.

"Hermione's talking to her parents on the phone about what's going to happen," she informed him as he stepped inside.

Severus took a small bottle from the pocket of his long black leather coat.

"Here, Remus. I brought your potion with me so that you'll have it here before you need it on Saturday."

Severus set the bottle of dark purple liquid on the sitting room's coffee table. He then took a seat in one of the two tan chairs across from the sofa.

Remus felt a slight urge to tell Severus that he thought Hermione should know why Dumbledore trusted him implicitly, but he suppressed the thought almost as soon as it had crossed his mind.

Tonks leveled her gaze on Severus.

"For Hermione's sake, I hope you understand what you're getting into," she told him.

Severus arched a brow.

"If you're concerned about Granger's feelings being wounded by my utter lack of compassion, I assure you that making the girl cry is not on my list of things to accomplish."

Tonks snorted.

"I just hope you're aware that she may have a difficult time adjusting. And if that's the case, the _last_ thing Hermione needs is for you to make matters worse by treating her like she doesn't exist, or worse, like she's an unwanted burden,"

"Thank you Nymphadora, but I'm well aware of what the girl will need,"

"Are you?" she asked, less than convinced.

Severus had no time to reply for Hermione walked into the room a second after Tonks had spoken. She came halfway into the room, and upon catching the gaze of her former professor, she stopped dead, unsure of what to say. She remained silent and felt that it was a good idea to let him be the first one to speak.

"Come now, Miss Granger, no onslaught of questions?" Severus asked with a hint of a half smile on his face.

"What is it that you thought I would ask you, Sir?" Hermione asked.

Severus laughed softly. The sound surprised Hermione and she nearly flinched. She had never heard Severus Snape laugh before. She wasn't sure she liked the sound either. His laugh was deep and rich, and for some reason she couldn't quite explain, it slightly frightened her.

"First of all, Miss Granger, I hardly think it is necessary for you to stand on such formalities when you're no longer my student. You may address me by my surname, Miss Granger. And might I add that I have no desire for you to call me professor."

Hermione gave him a small nod.

"Now as to the questions I was almost certain you'd be bursting to ask, I thought you'd want to know where exactly I'd be taking you,"

"The question did cross my mind," Hermione responded.

"Voldemort purchased an estate in Cambridge. I have a suite there."

"While I'm in this suite of yours during the day, where will you be?" Hermione asked as soon as the question popped into her mind. She was quickly regaining her boldness.

"I spend the majority of my days working at an illegal potions lab beneath Downing Street,"

"There's a black market potions lab underneath Downing Street?" Hermione asked.

"There is. Surely this doesn't surprise you after everything you've learned about England's magical community?"

"No, it does. At least a little bit. Does the prime minister know about it?

"No, the prime minister doesn't know,"

Remus broke into the conversation before Hermione could ask another question.

"How did it go with your parents?"

"They're trusting in my judgement. I don't think they understand why I have to do this, but they understand that it can't be avoided. I told them you or Tonks would write letters to them about how I was doing. I assume the three of you will be in frequent enough contact with each other,"

"We will be," Tonks said a bit more firmly than necessary.

"Now Miss Granger, are will you be ready to come with me to Cambridge the day after tomorrow?"

"Does it really have to be that soon?" Hermione asked.

"Unfortunately, I'm afraid it does." Severus told her. He then looked at Tonks and Remus. "Can I have a word or two with Miss Granger in private?"

"Of course," Tonks answered. "We'll just go into the kitchen for a few minutes."

She and Remus stood up and left the room. Hermione approached Severus some more and when she reached the sofa, she stopped to lean against the back of it.

"Miss Granger, . . . I will have to bring you before Voldemort. And when I do, . . . I'm going to have to put on a convincing show to make him think I see you as nothing more than an object."

Hermione didn't respond for several seconds.

"What, precisely, does a convincing show entail?"

"While in Voldemort's presence, I'm going to have to say and do things that will make you feel uncomfortable. Voldemort thinks I want to abuse you sexually. When we're standing in front of him, I'm going to have to make sure he continues to believe that,"

Hermione didn't reply. What could she say? She wanted to say no, but the rational part of her brain told her that wasn't an option. So instead, she remained silent.

"How long is this 'show' going to last?"

"As long as Voldemort wants to look at you. Nymphadora told you he has regained his human form, I expect?"

"No, she apparently forgot to mention that,"

There was a few seconds stretch of silence before Severus spoke to her again.

"Miss Granger, female witches radiate a strong magic that can be sensed by particularly powerful wizards and witches. Now, virgin witches radiate an aura ten times as great as those who have lost their virginity. I can give you a dampening potion to reduce that aura, but if I'm going to make it, I'm going to have to start it tonight,"

"Are you asking, . . .if I'm still a virgin?" Hermione asked her voice trembling slightly.

"In a roundabout way, . . .yes."

Hermione took a deep breath and exhaled very slowly.

"There's no need for you to make the potion," she said softly.

"If the intercourse wasn't consensual, your magical aura will still be powerful," Severus stated.

"I've never been raped. I lost my virginity willingly,"

"Then it's a good thing I didn't start brewing the dampening potion this afternoon."

"Can this discussion be over?"

"One last thing. I promise it's nothing like the previous topics we've discussed. You live in South Yorkshire. I have a meeting Saturday in London. Can you arrange transportation to Heathrow Airport, and I'll come get you at the main entrance at around 7 p.m.? I'll be driving a black sedan."

"I'm sure I can do that," Hermione told him.

"Good. Bring one bag of personal items you'll want to have with you,"

Hermione knew there were other questions she should probably be asking, but she would have ample opportunity to ask all the questions she wanted later. Except one question still burned in her mind.

"I disclosed some rather personal information to you just now. Might you disclose some information about yourself to me?"

"That depends. What do you want to know about me, Miss Granger?"

"I want to know why Dumbledore trusted you the way he did,"

Severus did not immediately reply. His expression became guarded and Hermione thought for a second that that he'd give her one of his scathing comments. But when he spoke, his voice was far from angry.

"Will you still trust me if I don't tell you?" he asked.

"I'll still trust you, but I may feel more comfortable trusting you completely if you were to tell me,"

"Or you may trust me less,"

"Dumbledore trusted you. Remus and Tonks trust you," Hermione said softly.

Severus let out a half laugh.

"For now, that's going to have to be enough for you. I see no reason why I should reveal my secrets to you when there's no benefit for me in doing so,"

Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but closed it before she said something she couldn't take back. It was not in her best interest to make this man angry.

Though his refusal to give her an answer, only made her all the more curious.

In regards to getting information, Hermione had always gotten what she wanted. And she saw no reason why this case had to be any different.

_It just might take a bit of time_ she thought silently. Fortunately for her, she was going to have as much time as she needed.

_What are you hiding from me, Severus Snape?_ _And what makes it so secret that you cannot even tell me what it is after I told you one of my own biggest secrets?_

Hermione didn't know, but she had nothing but the greatest intentions of finding out.

**A/N: **Downing Street is Britain's equivalent of Pennsylvania Avenue. :-)

Next chapter will be worthy of the M Rating.

Please review! I know I have some silent readers, and I'd love to hear from you.

Again, thanks to everyone who has me on their favorites list!


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I don't take credit for anything associated with Harry Potter. No financial profit is being made.

**A/N: **The story's been pretty much PG-13 in previous chapters, but now that's going to change. This chapter is rated M for language and strong sexual references. This might even be leaning a tad bit towards the MA rating, but I think it's still within the parameters of what is allowed on this site.

**Unlikely Partners**

**Chapter 5**

Hermione had been able to find her former professor at the airport entrance easily enough.

She now sat in the passenger's seat to the left of Severus. He had been shockingly polite in greeting her, and that alone had set Hermione on edge.

They had been in the car for just over twenty minutes now, and Hermione was uncharacteristically silent. She wouldn't allow herself to think about what was to come, so in an effort to force her mind to concentrate on something else, Hermione counted objects she saw outside the car window: telephone wires, birds, _anything, _just to keep her mind occupied.

Severus had made no effort to break the silence.

Hermione breathed deeply in an effort to remain calm, like she had done so many times before when she had been nervous about receiving a test score. But this was far from being some silly anxiety about what mark she'd gotten in Potions or Transfiguration. This was something else entirely.

While the logical part of her brain told her to keep calm and that she was safe trusting Snape, especially after everything Tonks had told her, the small fearful part was even now wondering if she had made the right decision.

_Lovely time to be having second thoughts, Hermione, _she told herself.

She watched a hawk riding the thermals in the cloudless sky. The animal soared across Hermione's line of vision. The bird was nature's embodiment of freedom.

And in watching it, Hermione's irrational side couldn't help but laugh inwardly at the irony.

She was less than an hour away from becoming a prisoner, and here she was looking at a creature whose freedom knew no bounds.

Normally, Hermione kept a tight rein on the irrational side of her brain. But rarely, in extremely unfamiliar situations, that small irrational part of her mind took control.

Right now Hermione was quite content to ignore her former professor and stare straight out the car window. She knew she would later have a sore neck from the staying in the position she was in, but she didn't care.

"Miss Granger," said Severus, speaking for the first time since they had left the airport.

"Yes?" Hermione responded, in an uncharacteristically weak voice. She didn't turn away from the window to look at him.

"I have a potion for you to drink before we reach Voldemort's estate."

Hermione turned her head. "When we discussed things, the only potion you mentioned was–

"This is different. I saw no need to tell you the last time we talked, because I didn't think it was necessary to upset you in front of Remus and Nymphadora."

Hermione exhaled shakily. She was suddenly overcome with the panicked feeling of being trapped with absolutely no way of escape. She eyed Severus fearfully.

Severus reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and produced a corked phial of greyish blue liquid.

"Drink this. For the next three hours, it will prevent you from feeling any physical pain."

Hermione's heart skipped a beat as Severus's words registered in her brain.

"I . . . I didn't think that . . ."

"I would hurt you in front of Voldemort?" Severus finished for her, his voice eerily calm. "Just when did I say anything to make you think that I wouldn't do everything in my power to convince The Dark Lord I was doing _precisely _that?"

Hermione blanched.

"Drink the potion now and you shall be fine."

Severus held the phial out, waiting for her to take it. "It's rather unpleasant, so I suggest pinching your nose and downing it in one go."

Hermione sat rigid for several seconds.

"The longer you wait to take it, the less effective it will be," Severus told her seriously.

Hermione swallowed and took the the phial from Severus's hand. With shaking hands, she uncorked it and then pinched her nose with her left hand. She put the phial to her lips and tilted her head back, swallowing its contents quickly.

She removed her hand from her nose, and then wished she hadn't. The potion had to have been the most vile substance she had ever tasted. She couldn't help thinking that if she drank petrol mixed with liquified rotten eggs, it couldn't have tasted any worse than the potion she had just consumed.

She had to force herself not to throw up.

Severus ignored her, his eyes focused on the horizon.

Hermione laid her head against the back of her seat and closed her eyes. It felt as if her stomach was trying to turn itself inside out.

Hermione let herself relax in an effort to relieve the queasiness in her stomach.

A cool, gentle flow of air hit her forehead, significantly reducing the feeling of nausea. Hermione opened her eyes slightly and noticed that the angle of the air conditioning vent had been changed. She turned her head slightly to look at Severus.

"Thank you," she said softly, doubting if he would respond.

He did not reply, but that didn't matter to Hermione.

Her former professor's simple act of kindness had done much to make her feel better about trusting him.

Hermione closed her eyes again and waited for the nausea to completely subside.

Half an hour later Severus pulled off the main road and started down a wooded driveway. He stopped the car about a hundred meters from the country road.

"There is a garage directly beneath my rooms in the estate's east wing. I'll have to take you in through the front, directly into Voldemort's meeting room. When I get out of the car, I will need your wand. With your wand, I'll bind your hands behind your back. Then we'll have to walk around the perimeter and enter through the main door. While in front of Voldemort, at some point in time, you will have to make an effort to fight me. Sadistic as he is, Voldemort will be more satisfied in watching me force you to remain still than he would be watching you remain frozen with fear. This means that I'll be able to get you away from him sooner."

Hermione didn't respond. What could she say? She managed a slight nod, which was enough for Severus. He proceeded to drive down the sloping drive. In a minute a white tudor style mansion came into view on a level area of ground. The enormous three story house sat in the middle of a clearing in the forest, surrounded by tall aging trees on three sides. It really was quite beautiful, secluded in the heart of the forest, surrounded by nature.

Though for Hermione, looking at it inspired nothing more than a sickening feeling of anticipation and dread. It was hard for her brain to grasp the concept that Voldemort was alive and well, and inside the walls of that expansive house at that very minute. Even more unfathomable to her was the fact that in a matter of minutes, she would be brought face to face with the darkest wizard Britain had seen in centuries.

Her stomach tightened as Severus drove around the reddish pink brick circle and pulled into the four car garage he had mentioned.

Her turned off the car's engine and turned to Hermione.

"Your wand, Miss Granger,"

Slowly, almost mechanically, Hermione retrieved her bag from underneath the car seat. She pulled her wand out and placed it in Severus's outstretched hand. Though she felt confident in trusting Severus, her stomach tightened even more at the relinquishment of her most important possession.

Severus stepped out of the car and opened Hermione's door for her. She tucked her bag of personal items back underneath the car seat and looked up into his face.

_Whatever I say and do tonight, I do to keep us both alive, _he said in her mind.

Hermione blinked, startled at his power to communicate with her inside her head.

_Now get out of the car and let us get this over with._

Hermione took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

She then stepped out of the car and Severus shut the door. Hermione obediently turned around so that he could use her wand to bind her wrists together.

Severus quickly did a silent spell and cords shot out of the tip of Hermione's wand, wrapping securely around Hermione's wrists.

_I'm not interfering with your circulation am I?_ he asked in her mind.

"No," she said softly, just loud enough so that he could hear.

_This way then. _He held her forearms and turned her around. _Walk forward and follow the path to the right._

Hermione did as she was told with Severus walking behind her, his hands around her arms just above her bound wrists. The short walk around the side of the mansion seemed to take an eternity for Hermione.

The sun was falling in the sky, as she and Severus went up the steps to the tall oak doors of the mansion.

Severus flicked Hermione's wand at the doors and they swung outward revealing the red carpeted hallway inside. Hermione stood frozen, unable to move until Severus gently nudged her in the small of her back with his knee.

Hermione felt like a small antelope unwillingly being brought into a den of hungry vicious lions. The air itself seemed to radiate a sinister darkness, and it robbed Hermione of her breath. The air was oppressive and the hair on the back of Hermione's neck stood on end.

Her heart beat wildly in her chest, and as she was forced further into the hallway, she could barely breathe properly.

_Turn left._

Hermione turned and found herself in front of a polished mahogany door with an ivory skull and malachite serpent on its top half.

Severus raised Hermione's wand and muttered a spell that sent the door flying open.

"What the hell?" a surprised female voice uttered from within.

"Shut up, Bella. I believe Severus has just returned with his prize," a male voice said smugly.

A shiver went down Hermione's spine.

_No. No, no, no. NO!_

She wanted to retch. Being within five meters of Voldemort was causing her to feel fear so powerful it was maddening. No, this was beyond fear. This was intense panic in the very core of her soul.

It was a feeling she had never experienced before, and would never have words to describe.

The man who had once been Tom Marvolo Riddle radiated a perverse aura of utter depravity. And being this near to something so entirely _evil_ was like excruciating pain for Hermione.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Voldemort intoned with a smile that would have done Lucifer proud. He rose from behind his desk and moved towards Hermione and Severus.

Like an animal shaking in the presence of a predator, Hermione started to tremble.

"This Milord, is the mudblood bitch that never fails to come to Potter's rescue." Severus explained causally.

Voldemort laughed softly.

"I daresay, she won't be helping Potter now,"

"That she won't." Severus replied with a dark smile.

"Was she very hard to capture?" Voldemort asked with interest.

"I had to take her wand away from her without using any magic, but I was able to trick the chit into thinking she had succeeded in subduing me and then my greater physical strength beat her desperate wand waving. Men are always stronger than women, Milord." Severus said, glancing pointedly at Bellatrix.

Bellatrix snorted derisively and rolled her eyes.

"I'm going to thoroughly enjoy having my way with her," Severus said with a malicious glint in his eyes. He jerked Hermione against him and put his nose to her neck. "So soft," he whispered. He placed a kiss against side of her throat. "So smooth."

"It will be so much fun to break this fucking meddlesome brat's spirit. I want to see the fire die from her eyes each time I dominate her, each time I show her that the only place for a woman is beneath a man."

Severus snaked his right hand around her waist and trailed it up Hermione's chest, deftly undoing buttons on her blouse as he went.

"I want to hear her scream in protest when I fuck her for the first time," Severus said with pleasure as he eyed her body in interest.

"Enjoy your new toy, Severus. You know you've earned a little something after everything you've done for me,"

Bellatrix cleared her throat to get the two men's attention.

"How exactly are you going to let Potter know you have his little female friend?"

Voldemort looked at her and smiled.

"Severus will send Potter a letter,"

"And you think the boy is just going to believe that we have the girl without any proof of the fact?" Bellatrix asked seriously.

Severus snorted.

"He'll have proof. I thought sending him a picture of his beloved Miss Granger afflicted by the Cruciatus curse would really make the message hit home."

Bellatrix grinned. "How ingenious. And here I was thinking you had lost your touch after being around Albus Dumbledore all these years. I apologise for ever doubting you,"

"Bella, there's a camera in the desk of the morning room. Go fetch it now," Voldemort told her crisply.

Bellatrix promptly left the room without another word to obey the order she had been given. Voldemort then began to advance on Hermione.

Her mind was slipping into a sort of drug induced stupor, but whether it was from the potion or from the fact that she had been in Voldemort's presence for several minutes now and the energy from him was effecting her mind, she didn't know.

Voldemort drew ever closer to her and Hermione could feel her skin crawl in terror. When he was just a meter away, Hermione could stand it no longer and with every ounce of strength she could muster, she tried to wrench out of Severus's grasp.

She managed to succeed in breaking Severus's grip on her for a second or two but then his right hand shot out and tightened like a vice on her arm with bruising force. He yanked her back in front of him and subsequently kicked her brutally in the back of her right leg, causing her to drop to her knees.

The blow had knocked the air out of Hermione's lungs. She struggled to get oxygen again.

"She's quite a fighter, isn't she?" Voldemort asked with a smirk.

"Indeed she is," said Severus. "It's the bloody Gryffindor in her, Milord."

Voldemort laughed again.

"Make her stand."

Severus forced Hermione onto her feet. Hermione's eyes went wide as Voldemort came forward and took her chin in his hand.

His touch was like a white hot branding iron on her soul.

"I will kill Potter. He has no chance of stopping me a second time. Everyone you ever cared about will be enslaved or killed. I grow stronger every day. It's only a matter of time before I reign supreme over all of Britain."

Voldemort forced Hermione to look into his eyes.

"I imagine you'll beg for death long before I take complete control over this country. There's no way Potter and his friends in The Order of the Phoenix can rescue you."

He released her as Bellatrix brought the camera into the room. He took his wand from his desk and pointed it at Hermione's chest.

"CRUCIO!" Voldemort yelled determinedly.

Severus let her sink to the floor. Hermione felt her muscles twitching uncontrollably, but felt no agonizing physical pain.

Severus's potion had worked.

"Smile for the camera!" Bellatrix said before taking a picture.

Though she felt no actual pain, Hermione was unable to breathe properly and she bent her head, gasping for air.

"Suffer you Gryffindor bitch," Voldemort said contemptuously.

Hermione thought she might black out from lack of oxygen. But then at the last moment, Voldemort lifted the curse and smiled.

"As much as I'd like to cause you pain right now, I have some urgent matters to discuss with Bella." Voldemort told her regrettably. He looked to Severus. "And I'm sure you'll want to take when she's still capable of fighting,"

"All the more fun for me, Milord." said Severus.

Voldemort nodded.

"You may take her away. Bella will give you picture when it's developed."

"I'll write Potter a letter in the morning," Severus promised.

"Very good. Enjoy your night, Severus."

"Oh I will Milord. I most certainly will."

Voldemort turned away and Severus pushed Hermione towards the room's open door.

_Turn Left. _Severus told her once they were back in the hallway.

Severus marched Hermione down the hallway and stopped her once they were a good distance from the room Voldemort and Bellatrix were in.

_I'm going to Apparate us back to my suite. The Ministry won't be able to detect any magic that takes place inside this mansion._

A second later Hermione was standing in the first of Severus's rooms. After using Hermione's wand to sufficiently soundproof the chamber, Severus promptly released Hermione from the magical bonds.

He stepped back from her and she slowly turned to face him. Her face was as pale as a sheet of parchment. She took in a shaky breath and swayed on her feet.

Suddenly, she collapsed into unconsciousness and Severus caught her quickly to stop her from falling to the floor. Gently he picked her up and carried her into his bedchamber.

**A/N:** And that's chapter 6! Certainly a different tone than the chapters before it. As always, please review.

Thanks to all my reader's who have added me to their favorite's list and author alert list. It makes me happy to know that I'm not the only one enjoying ths story.


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **I don't take credit for anything associated with Harry Potter. No financial profit is being made.

**Unlikely Partners**

**Chapter 6**

Severus sat at his mahogany desk beginning the first line of what was to be the letter that alerted Harry to

Hermione's kidnaping. A brass candelabrum was in front of him, providing him light in the darkening room. The dim light of twilight was nearly gone, quickly being replaced by the coal black darkness of night.

He turned his head to glance at Hermione, who had yet to come to.

She would be fine, he knew. She'd only been out for about a quarter of an hour and he expected her to return to consciousness at any moment.

The pain blocking potion had prevented him from bringing her back to consciousness. It wasn't unheard of for a pain blocking potion to cause a temporary blackout, especially in the concentration Hermione had consumed. If Severus used any chemical or magical means to wake her, he risked the possibility of inducing violent nausea. It was better to let the mildly toxic chemicals of the potion break down naturally, while she was still unconscious.

Severus returned to the letter he was currently penning by candlelight.

_Dear Potter,_

_After murdering your beloved Headmaster Dumbledore I wasn't about to let you go off on some foolish quest to search for and destroy the Dark Lord's remaining horcruxes. While I do not doubt in the slightest that you would most certainly have failed, I couldn't risk the possibility of you somehow managing to succeed._

_Right now will probably be about the time your stomach tightens as you wonder what I've done._

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose and rubbed his eyes.

He didn't want to be doing this right now.

He quickly reread what he had written. Satisfied, he dipped his quill back into the ink, preparing to begin another line. He looked down at the parchment and forced himself to look at the situation from the perspective of a man without morals or human feelings.

_You know I'm smiling as I write this, Potter. The knowledge that I'm causing you to suffer terribly brings me great pleasure. You will receive a second envelope tonight, arriving approximately three hours after this one. _

_You will then know what I've taken from you._

_Severus Snape_

He had decided that it would be make him appear more malicious if he sent more than one letter to Harry. The first would be written to unnerve him and induce a sickening panic. Severus had thought about what he would have done if he truly was in service to Voldemort, and alerting Harry that he had done something to cause him pain, but making him wait to be told what exactly that something was,... Well that was just the sort of evil thing a true Death Eater would do.

Severus sat the first letter off to the side to finish drying and took a second sheet of parchment from the lefthand drawer of his desk. This next letter would be the one that had Hermione's picture enclosed in it.

Severus was just about to set his quill to the clean paper, when he heard movement behind him. Turning, he saw that Hermione was slowly moving into a sitting position. Severus set his quill down, put the lid back on the ink bottle and rose to walk over to her.

"How do you feel now?" he asked as he came to stand at the foot of the black sleigh bed.

Hermione raised her gaze to his. For several seconds she didn't say a word. She held his gaze without blinking, and there was something similar to but not quite like pain in her eyes.

"It's not gone," she said in a hollow tone. "Oh God, it's not gone. It feels like...like something is...strangling my soul..." Hermione took in a shaky breath and her eyes widened in discomfort.

"Downstairs your mind was screaming so loud I wouldn't be surprised if Bellatrix heard it, and she isn't even a Legilimens." Severus commented as he considered Hermione's last statement.

"Why is this happening to me?" Hermione half moaned as she started to tremble again, though this time was significantly less intensified than the last.

Severus looked at her as if he was examining some sort of potion ingredient.

"You must have an unusually bright soul, Miss Granger. I can think of no other reason for you to be having such a reaction."

"I can't stand it," Hermione choked out, squeezing her eyes shut in emotional agony.

Severus narrowed his eyes at her behavior. In all honesty he hadn't anticipated that Hermione would have such a sensitivity to Voldemort's presence. He had expected her to be afraid, even to the point of tears, but this?

_Dammit Granger, why can't you fit the mold for normalcy in this situation?_

This was the last thing he needed right now.

And because he'd never encountered this problem before, he wasn't at all sure what, if anything, he could do for her.

Hermione snapped her eyes open and opened her mouth in a silent cry of torture.

"Take several deep breaths, Miss Granger." Severus told her.

Hermione drew in an uneven breath, and let it out slowly. She then took in a second breath, one less full than the first, and blew it out.

"It's as if...there isn't...enough oxygen in...the air," she said weakly.

"I assure you Miss Granger that this room has a sufficient amount of oxygen."

Severus watched her take a third breath and shakily exhale.

"You need to relax as much as possible."

"I don't think I can relax at all," Hermione responded in a tight voice.

"You must try." Severus said firmly.

Hermione leaned her head back against the pillows and forced herself to even out her breathing.

"Good. Now I want you to relax using a method developed by ancient Chinese wizards in order to alleviate pain. Listen to my voice, focus on it, and clearly envision what I say in your mind."

Hermione took another deep breath and let it out as smoothly as possible.

"You are surrounded by cool, calm, darkness. You are floating gently down, the more you descend, the lighter you feel. You continue to slowly move downward until you come to softly rest on a wide current of slow moving water. Let the water support you, surrender your weight to it.

"Gradually you move forward, and as you do there is a small light in the blackness above. As you move forward on the water, the light slowly begins to move closer to you. It descends towards you as you move down the current. Slowly the light becomes large enough to illuminate your entire body. Feel its warmth and let it free you from your suffering. The light gives you strength, the light gives you peace. Let it take all of the discomfort from your body, feel your pain leaving you. Breathe deeply and expel all of your agony and let the light destroy it. Now watch the light gradually fade away and go out, destroying with it all of your pain, suffering, and turmoil.

"Take one last deep breath and open your eyes."

Hermione did so and looked at Severus with a calm expression for the first time.

"Feeling better now?" Severus asked.

"Yes. I don't have words to tell you how much that relaxation technique helped me. Where did you learn that?" Hermione asked him.

"It's just something I picked up while studying Legilimency and Occlumency."

"Is the absence of the feeling I was experiencing permanent or temporary?"

Severus did not immediately reply.

"It is temporary, isn't it?" Hermione asked him seriously.

"Yes, Miss Granger, it's temporary. I'm quite certain you'll be able to sleep through the night without any problems, but tomorrow I'll have to make you an anti-anxiety potion and hope that does the trick to keep you from experiencing...whatever the hell it is you experienced from being in the same vicinity as Voldemort. In all honesty, the relaxation method is only a quick fix, and if repeated too often, you will become immune to its beneficial effects."

"What do you mean when you say you _hope _theanti-anxiety potion works?"

"Simply that I have no idea to what extent it will help you."

"What will I do if the potion doesn't help me?" Hermione asked quickly.

"We'll just have to cross that bridge when we get to it," Severus said curtly, not wanting to think about that possibility becoming a reality.

"You're certain that I won't wake up in the middle of the night feeling the distress again?" Hermione asked.

"To ensure that you sleep soundly I suggest that you rest now."

"I'm not tired."

Severus rolled his eyes.

"But I will do as you say," she told him.

"I'm leaving tomorrow morning at 6 a.m. I'll return around noon with a potion for you."

Severus returned to his desk and picked up the parchment and the candelabrum. He turned to leave the room.

"Good night," Hermione told him softly.

He nodded to her before disappearing into the adjoining room and closing the door.

Severus set the candles on a side table and tucked the pages of parchment into a portfolio on the table. He then extinguished the flames and kicked off his shoes before moving to the long black leather couch in the center of the room.

Severus stretched out on the piece of furniture with a heavy sigh.

_If I give her a concentrated form of the anti-anxiety potion she should no longer suffer as intensely as she did tonight, _he told himself.

_But what you expect should happen and what actually happens are often never the same_, he thought silently.

He hadn't thought this situation would have such an unwanted complication.

Severus took another breath and exhaled very slowly, wishing very much that he was able to take a dreamless sleep potion. Or rather, wishing that a dreamless sleep potion would help him to sleep.

Sound sleep and Severus Snape were strangers. The last time Severus had gotten a good night's sleep was weeks before the night Harry had survived Voldemort's killing curse.

Since the night Voldemort had lost power Severus's nights were filled with acute physical pain. One might have thought this was due to the fact that a Death Eater was magically connected to Voldemort and could possibly suffer some type of physical pain from being separated from his master.

But if that was true, Severus's pain would have long ceased as Voldemort was considerably stronger now than he had been before he had tried to kill Harry.

Severus breathed in again as an acute stabbing pain lanced through his head. His temples throbbed in time with his heart beat. It felt as if someone was driving an ice pick into the base of his skull. Every muscle in his body tensed as the pain in his head doubled. He experienced the sensation of having every major vein in his head pinched and pierced. He breathed out doing a tremendous job of ignoring it all.

But just because he ignored it that didn't make the pain any easier to bear.

The sensation of an ice pick sinking into the center of his brain continued while painful pressure built up around the sides of his head. It felt as if his skull was being split from the inside.

And through it all the only outward sign that he was in extreme physical agony was the tenseness of his shoulder blades.

His headaches came every night and would last anywhere from forty-five minutes to five hours.

Severus hoped tonight's was of the former category.

But he knew better than most that you couldn't always get what you wished for.

He turned onto his other side and settled down to wait for the excruciating pain to subside so that he could finally escape to the unconsciousness of sleep.

**A/N: **I want to know what you're thinking! I'm sure this little plot twist was unexpected. So you all must have some reaction to it. Any guesses about why Severus has headaches? Leave me a review and let me know your thoughts!

I won't be able to update this week because I have a big psychology presentation to give on Thursday and then I'm off to Pittsburgh on Friday to see Michael Flatley's Celtic Tiger and visit family.

Look for Chapter 7 the week after next. I'd much rather write chapter 7 this week instead of spending time preparing for my psych presentation, but unfortunately the presentation has to come first.

I'm hoping that this chapter will prompt many of my silent readers to review for the first time.


	8. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **I do not take credit for anything associated with Harry Potter. No financial profit is being made.

**A/N: **Some of you are wondering what I mean when I say Hermione's soul is unusually bright. I hope I can help clarify things with this explanation: having a brighter than normal soul does not necessarily mean that pure of heart, just hat her "life force" is stronger than average and is extremely sensitive to a dark aura like Voldy's. This can be attributed to Hermione's great intellect and magical strength.

**Unlikely Partners**

**Chapter 7**

Severus entered the white brick mansion late in the morning, about ten minutes until noon. He had spent three hours carefully preparing a strong anti-anxiety potion for Hermione. The creamy orange colored liquid now sat inside his coat pocket.

The east wing hallway was deserted for the moment, but Severus had no desire to linger in the corridor, lest Rudolphus Lestrange appear to ask him how he had enjoyed his first night with his new captive. Severus could not afford to waist time talking to the man when Hermione needed to take the potion he carried as soon as possible.

Severus Apparated to his rooms, and upon arriving in his sitting room, he was relieved to notice that Hermione was no longer projecting the shockingly intense mental anguish that had overwhelmed her so much the night before.

Taking this as a good sign, Severus relaxed a degree and removed his coat. He took the small spherical bottle from the inside pocket and went to into his bedchamber to find Hermione.

Hermione was nowhere to be seen when Severus arrived in the room. His eyes snapped to the bathroom at the far left corner of the chamber. The door was shut and Severus moved further into the room.

"Miss Granger, I've returned with your potion," he called to her.

He didn't receive an answer. He waited several seconds before raising his voice.

"Granger!"

Severus went to the bathroom door and knocked sharply.

Still, no answer.

"Dammit, Miss Granger, answer me!"

Even after that, there was no response.

In truth, Severus hadn't expected Hermione to wake so soon. The potion she had drank the previous night should have made her sleep longer than normal. He had thought that she would be still sleeping when he returned.

_Miss Granger can you hear me? _He asked telepathically.

Seconds stretched on and all was silent save for the ticking of the clock on the wall in the other room.

"_Severus?_" a plaintive voice called from within the closed room.

Hermione's voice was distant and weak.

The fact that Hermione had used his given name barely even registered as he retrieved his wand from the side table and said a silent spell to undo the lock so that he could gain access to the room Hermione was in.

Hermione sat against the wall with her knees bent, her arms clasped around them, and her head angled down as if she was enduring great pain.

"Miss Granger," Severus said softly. It was a tone of voice those who knew him would never have thought he was capable of using.

Slowly, with great effort, Hermione raised her head to meet his gaze. Her eyes were red rimmed and tears shined on her cheeks.

Severus uncorked the potion and bent to one knee to hand it to her.

"Drink this."

There was a clouded faraway look in Hermione's eyes, a sort of glazed over daze that had extinguished any glimmer of light in her gaze.

Hermione forced herself to raise her hand to take the bottle, but her muscles were trembling so badly that Severus leaned over and held the potion to her lips.

She obediently swallowed the liquid and then leaned her head back against the cream tiled wall, letting her eyes fall closed in exhaustion.

Severus stared at the girl before him, waiting for some sign of the potion's effectiveness.

Hermione's skin was unusually pale and beads of sweat stood out on her forehead.

After several minutes, Hermione slowly dragged her eyes open and focused on Severus's face. Her eyes were dilated to the point where there was only the thinnest sliver of brown iris surrounding her pupils.

Hermione held her former professor's gaze for several seconds before speaking.

"I want to say that the potion took away my anguish," she began in a hollow voice, "but I'm not noticing a significant difference."

"I honestly don't know what to tell you," Severus said to her. He rose and moved to sit on the edge of the white whirlpool bathtub.

"What are you going to do now?" Hermione asked weakly, her voice devoid of all emotion.

"I'll have to find another way to help you," Severus told her.

"And what exactly would that be?" Hermione asked, closing her eyes again.

"My next plan is to teach you Shield Occlumency."

Hermione opened her eyes halfway.

"Is that not like what you tried to teach Harry?" she inquired in a barely audible voice.

"No, it's different in that it enables the person practising it to block out any unwanted stimuli. In your case, by utilising Shield Occulmency you will be able to block Voldemort's presence from your mind."

"How come you didn't tell me about this before you brewed the potion?" Hermione asked in that same lifeless voice.

"Because Miss Granger, in order for you to learn the technique you need to be in a perfectly fit mental condition. I was hoping that the ani-anxiety potion would alleviate your distress somewhat so that I could teach you Shield Occlumency more easily."

"Why didn't the potion work like you thought it would?" Hermione asked.

"Anti-anxiety potions treat the person taking them as the source of the anxiety. Your anxiety does not originate in your mind, it originates from the dark energy radiated from Voldemort downstairs. I thought the potion would partially help you, especially since that was the most concentrated form I could give you without risking negative side effects, but...Obviously you are so sensitive to Voldemort's presence that your condition will not change with any simple treatment."

"You say that as if this is somehow my fault," Hermione remarked casually, focusing most of her attention on trying to not visibly shake with every breath.

"I did notmean for you to take it that way, Miss Granger."

Hermione didn't answer, finding it easier to relax while closing her eyes and leaning her head against the cool tile behind her.

"Is it any better than last night?" Severus asked.

"I've been trying to stay calm for the last two and a half hours," Hermione told him. "I had to come in here because I couldn't stand being in the main room. I was too overwhelmed and like last night, I could barely breathe, in here, I suppose it's slightly better. At least I'm not hyperventilating. Though the longer I try to remain calm, the more exhausted I become."

"I really shouldn't try to teach you Occlumency while you're in this state," Severus told her. "But, I don't think your condition will improve unless something is done now."

"You could just let me suffer and see if I adjust on my own." Hermione said drily, her voice hardly above a whisper as if the sound of her own voice was hurting her ears.

Severus let out a sigh.

"I won't do that." he told her seriously. "The only reason I have reservations is because when I teach you how to shield, I'll have to look into your mind and to do so while you're in your present condition would be tantamount to reading a diary that is a record of your most private memories and thoughts. If I try to teach you Shield Occlumency now, I will see things you may not want me to see."

"And my alternative option is to just sit against this wall in pain?"

"Miss Granger, I'm not really suggesting that you do that, bu I also want to warn you that...no, never mind. I hardly think it's necessary to worry you with the possibility of further complications."

Hermione opened her eyes and stared directly at Severus.

"What are you keeping from me now, Snape? After you conveniently forgot to mention the pain potion you gave me last night when we talked at Remus's, I now have to wonder what else you're deciding not to tell me." Hermione said in a stronger voice, her mind more lucid now than before.

"It's nothing, I assure you." Severus said quickly.

"Why don't you let me be the judge of that?" Hermione asked. Severus narrowed her eyes at Hermione's display of impudence.

"Must you always insist on knowing everything?" Severus half snapped at her. He gave her a hardened stare as if willing her to stay silent on the matter.

"When someone is going to warn me about something and then suddenly decides to drop the subject, I immediately get suspicious. And considering everything that happened last night, I don't think you should keep any details from me."

Severus did not immediately respond.

"Have you read much about Occlumency?" he asked.

"I wanted to, but the Hogwarts library didn't have any books on it."

"You've never looked the topic up in Flourish and Blotts?"

"Almost all the times I was there, I was with Harry and Ron, and I would never ask them to go into the store with me. And I didn't want to leave them and make them think I was avoiding them."

Severus exhaled forcefully.

"Then let me give you a very brief history lesson," he told her.

Hermione met his gaze and waited for him to continue.

"Occlumency is an Eastern discipline, developed in China around 1108 AD and perfected around 1200. In the thirteenth century, it was taught in magical military academies throughout Asia, the first one being the wizarding equivalent of Tsun Zu's war academy. Now in the military academies, all the students were male and so were all of the masters who taught them.

"Women weren't taught Occlumency until the sixteenth century. But the masters found that it was an unwise decision to include women in their academies."

"How come?" Hermione asked.

"The women were getting pregnant." Severus told her simply.

"That really wasn't the answer I expected."

"Don't interrupt me. I'm far from finished." said Severus.

"Sorry, go on."

"It was discovered that process of imparting knowledge of Occlumency magnified sexual attraction between the master and the female student. When it was found out that the reason for the high number of unexpected pregnancies was the fact that Occlumency acted like a particularly strong aphrodisiac when it was taught by a middle aged unmarried master to a young woman, the discipline was forbidden to be taught to female students in the academy. Over time, women masters came to open their own academies where they taught girls the art of Occlumency. And the women masters were forbidden to teach male students for the same reasons."

"Have you never wondered why Hogwarts doesn't offer Occlumency as a class?" he asked her.

"I always thought it was because it took so much skill to master." Hermione told him.

Severus snorted loudly.

"Potion making is a discipline that takes skill to master and Hogwarts offers that to everyone."

Hermione didn't immediately respond.

"You were going to keep this . . . fact . . . from me?" Hermione asked him seriously.

"Miss Granger! Understand that it matters not whether you know this information before I begin to teach you Shield Occlumency. Your weakened mental state will affect your ability to sense and perceive Occlumency induced feelings. And my first plan involved you being able to rest today after the anti-anxiety potion, brewing a fresh anti-lust potion just for peace of mind tomorrow, and beginning the Occlmency lessons tomorrow evening. Right now, you won't be affected by the Occlumency's power of attraction."

"What about you?" Hermione demanded.

"What do you take me for? I won't lose control over myself if that's what you're asking." Severus said irately.

"Last night you told Voldemort you couldn't wait to rape me, so forgive me if I'm more than a bit wary of your intentions." Hermione told him seriously.

Severus stared at her as if she had physically slapped him.

"_That_ was a low blow Miss Granger," Severus told her icily. "I can't believe you truly think me capable of raping you."

Severus searched Hermione's gaze, astonished to see from the set of her features that she had meant every word of what she had said.

"If you hadn't kept this information from me, I wouldn't be so suspicious of you. But there was no good reason for you not to tell me this little history lesson earlier in the conversation." Hermione told him softly. She massaged her left temple gently and let out a deep breath. Clearly she was still in great discomfort, and her energy was continuing to drain.

"I didn't think it was necessary."

"Can I really trust you?" Hermione asked him.

Severus had a sneaking suspicion that he knew where the conversation was heading.

"Now is not the time to discuss my reasons for serving Dumbledore."

Hermione sighed.

"Will this Shield Occlumency definitely get me back to normal?" she asked him.

"Yes, I'm certain it will," Severus told her.

"Then let's get the first lesson started." Hermione told him seriously.

**A/N:** A bit of a cliffy, I know. But the more you review the faster I write, so please leave me a review.


	9. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **I do not take credit for anything associated with Harry Potter. No financial profit is being made.

**Unlikely Partners**

**Chapter 8**

"I believe that's a very wise decision, Miss Granger," Severus told her as he stood up.

"Where are you going?" Hermione asked. "I don't want to move"–

"Did I tell you I wanted you to move, Miss Granger?" Severus asked in a tone that hinted she was beginning to try his patience.

"No, but you stood up so I automatically thought you were on your way back to the other room."

Severus looked at her, his features set into his trademark "Potions Master" sneer.

"Don't ever assume your initial predictions are correct, unless you first have substantial proof that they are true," he told her.

Severus took his wand and flicked it in the direction of the bathtub. In an instant it filled with water and the water jets turned on, bubbling fairly loudly in the room. Hermione stared at him, waiting for him to explain his actions. Severus said nothing and went to the sink across from Hermione and gently turned the water on, barely touching the handle so that the water only dripped steadily into the drain. He then turned to face Hermione.

"I have just created two auditory stimuli." Severus told her smoothly. "The bubbling water drowns out the sound of the dripping faucet. We're going to use Shield Occlumency to make it so that you are able to magnify the sound of the dripping faucet and accurately discern how many water drops hit the bottom of the sink in a period of fifteen seconds."

"Well right now, I can still see the faucet and it's dripping at the rate of–

Severus stepped to the right so that he completely blocked Hermione's view of the faucet.

"Look at me, Miss Granger."

Hermione raised her eyes to Severus's face.

"Before we begin, I'm going to have to teach you how to merge your subconscious and conscious minds. In Occlumency, these two parts of your brain work in tandem. Normally, as I'm sure you already know, they're completely separate."

"What exactly will I have to do?" Hermione asked him.

"It will sort of be like thinking of two things at once. Once I step inside your mind you'll be aware of my presence, but unaware of what I see in your thoughts. I want you to focus all of your attention on my presence in your mind. I shall use my power to awaken an unused part of your subconscious mind and you will then have the ability to either magnify or reduce certain stimuli. We'll start by having you magnify a visual stimulus and then move on to having you magnify the sound of the dripping faucet. Magnification is easier than reduction, but because of your significantly weakened mental state, I sincerely doubt you'll be able to successfully do it the first time. Once you've confidently mastered it, you can move on to more difficult tasks that will eventually lead to blocking Voldemort's presence from your mind."

Hermione blinked, trying to force her mind to comprehend everything Severus had said.

"On your word I shall begin." Severus told her.

Hermione let out a breath, smoothed her hair behind her ear, and gave Severus a subtle nod.

Severus, with his gaze locked on Hermione's eyes, immediately gained access to Hermione's mind. Usually, during the first few seconds of the act of mind intrusion, the Legilimens received a sort of mental "kick" as the person whose mind they had entered instinctively responded to their invasion. He did not receive the particular response from Hermione.

Severus passed by the thoughts at the forefront of Hermione's mind.

_How long will I have to stay here?_

_Harry will be sick with rage when he finds out I'm gone . . . He might never forgive me when I tell him the truth._

Severus pressed further in and found Hermione's recent memories. He saw Hermione sitting in front a television with a bowl of jelly beans resting on her stomach. Severus went past that and saw an image of Nymphadora Tonks talking to Hermione. Past that he could see Hermione standing next to Remus, looking at the Latin text he was translating.

Severus pushed even deeper, again expecting even a weak reflexive response at his strong hold on Hermione's mind. But even as he began to see images of older memories and thoughts, she didn't even mentally "flinch" like everyone he had probed this deeply had done.

It was a good thing that Hermione had no idea what memories he was currently viewing.

Apparently he had found the section of memories in her brain devoted to sexual experiences. Since Hermione was currently unable to hide these images from his eyes, he had known that there was a good possibility he would see them as he made his way to the innermost part of her mind.

Severus passed a memory of Hermione passionately snogging Victor Krum. Severus supposed he could attempt to back out a bit and go around another path to get to her subconsciousness. But minds were unpredictable little things and though he could _try_ to bypass these memories on his way to his destination, there was no guarantee that that he would successfully be able to do so. Besides, it wasn't as if Hermione was aware of what memories he was now looking at.

As Severus moved further into her mind he saw an image of Hermione underneath a slender red-headed young man. Severus had figured Hermione had lost her virginity to either the Bulgarian Quidditch player, Potter, or the youngest Weasley boy. Obviously that wasn't the case.

It had been with one of the Weasley twins.

The liaison made some sense, at least Fred and George-Severus couldn't tell who it was-had sharp intellects and were free thinkers. Both were characteristics Hermione greatly admired.

Not that he gave a damn who she slept with.

Severus quickly pushed past that particular memory and felt the degree of Hermione's awareness decrease as he finally found the outer edges of her subconscious mind.

Severus quickly found that he was not yet out of the sexual thoughts of Hermione's mind as thoughts and images came into view about her desires and fantasies.

The first image Severus saw was Remus slowly kissing Hermione. Severus then heard the thoughts that accompanied the image.

_Nymphadora Tonks is the luckiest woman alive. If I was granted three wishes, one of them would have to be for Remus to kiss me. . . Oh hang_ _it, I'd want to have him for a night . . ._

The last thought was followed by an image of Remus in bed with Hermione.

Severus had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. To do so, would have sent him completely out of Hermione's mind and he would have had to start the process all over again.

Did she even know that the werewolf she was fantasizing about was bisexual?

Severus moved away from Hermione's subconsious thoughts that contained images of a lusty Remus Lupin.

Finally, Severus located the part of Hermione's mind that he had been searching for. It was a small part that Muggles almost never used and adult wizards and witches only used it occasionally, unless of course, they were trained in Shield Occlumency.

_Miss Granger? _he whispered gently, acutely aware of the damage a loud voice could cause in this untouched part of her mind. There had been accounts in various history books of what happened a Legilimens used a normal tone of voice in the inner parts of a student's mind. All of them involved great pain in the student and the sudden forced removal of the Legilimens from the student's mind. _Do not speak, just think your answer in your mind and I'll hear it._

_Yes? _Hermione questioned weakly.

_Close your eyes. Can you detect my presence in your subconsciousness?_

_I see you standing in front of a gray background, _Hermione told him.

_Good. Now I want you to relax as much as you are able._

Hermione exhaled slowly and Severus felt her mind become less hyper-alert to her surroundings.

_I'm now going to project a basic image in your mind and I want you to concentrate on it, making it more detailed and clear or ignore it, causing it to fade and disappear._

_What is the image going to be? _Hermione asked.

_If you knew, this entire exercise would become ineffective._

Severus thought for a few seconds, deciding what image he would put in Hermione's mind. He was tempted to project an image of Remus and tell her to concentrate on adding details to the image. Doing so would certainly teach her how to use the latentpart of her subconscious mind to modify a visual stimulus. Though she probably wouldn't be very happy if she knew he was aware of her less-than-decent thoughts about the werewolf.

Considering the situation between him and Hermione, he had no desire to make her hate him.

He settled on projecting an image innocuous enough that Hermione wouldn't think of it as having any sort of sexual connotation. He chose an expanse of green grass near a forest, not unlike the grounds of Hogwarts.

_Make this image more detailed. Add whatever you want to make it more specific,_ he instructed.

Not surprisingly, Hermione chose to make the image into Hogwarts, even going as far as to add the school's lake and prominent trees.

_Well done, Miss Granger. I'm now going to back out of your mind and we'll be able to carry on a normal conversation._ Severus told her. Keeping Legilimency up for so many minutes was beginning to tax his brain. If he kept it up much longer without taking a break, he'd have quite a splitting headache and then he'd be completely unable to help Hermione.

"It appears that your mental strength is not completely exhausted. I want you to practice now with the auditory stimuli. Open your eyes and focus all of your attention on making the dripping faucet loud enough for you to hear."

Hermione stared in the direction of the faucet for ten seconds.

"I can't make the sound seem any louder"she told him.

Severus sighed.

"Miss Granger, one of your most noticeable faults is that you often try too hard when completing a set task. You're trying to _see_ the faucet, Miss Granger. I assure you that my chest won't be turning transparent anytime soon."

Hermione looked up into his face with a determined expression in her eyes. She said nothing as she bent her head down toward the floor and again concentrated on magnifying the sound of the dripping faucet and ignoring the sound of the whirlpool bath.

After almost a full minute Hermione raised her gaze to Severus's.

"Okay, I can actually hear the dripping faucet now."

"Can you?" Severus asked, and with a twirl of his wand he conjured a pocket watch, flipped it open and looked down, watching its second hand. "How many drops do you hear in fifteen seconds?"

Hermione was silent, trying to count the number of drops she heard.

"I can't hear them for more than five or six seconds at a time." she told him.

"Concentrate harder."

"What's so magic about fifteen seconds?" Hermione asked sullenly, on the road to reaching her breaking point.

"If you can magnify the stimulus for longer than ten seconds you should have no problem moving on to more advanced Shield Occlumency."

"Fine." Hermione told him tersely. "I can do it longer."

"I'm sure you can. Why don't you prove it to me?"

Hermione took a deep breath and stared at the bathroom floor and she focused all of her concentration on magnifying the sound of the dripping faucet behind Severus.

Severus leaned back against the sink and idly watched the second hand travel around the face of the pocket watch.

"All right, I can hear it clearly and the sound is no longer fading."

"Are you ready for me to time you?" Severus questioned.

Hermione nodded. Severus looked at her and then looked down at the pocket watch.

"Start counting." he told her.

Hermione silently counted the number of drops she heard drip into the bottom of the sink.

"Stop. What was your number?"

"Twenty-three," she announced.

"Very good, Miss Granger. We are now closer to stopping you from being affected by Voldemort's presence."

"What do I have to do now?" Hermione asked as Severus turned off the sink and turned off the water in the tub.

"You were able to magnify the image of the field. I'm going to project another image in your mind. This time instead of magnifying it, I want you to reduce it by ignoring it, you'll have to redirect your attention to something else."

"Like what?" Hermione asked him.

"Anything you want, it can be memory or a specific thing, though this early in your training it would be better if you focused on something tangible."

"Like you?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow.

This time, Severus did roll his eyes.

"I may be a tangible thing Miss Granger, but do you honestly think that's the best thing to do, especially after what I've told you?"

Hermione didn't immediately answer.

"I honestly wasn't thinking about that, it's just that here in this room there isn't a whole lot to focus my attention on. What am I going to do, stare at the sink? Plus, I want to get this done as soon as possible. I thought focusing on you might make this easier and expedite the process of finally mastering Shield Occlumency enough to get Voldemort off my mind."

Severus considered her words. She did have a valid point. If Hermione tried to focus on the blank wall or the sink, undoubtedly it would take her more than a few tries to completely reduce the visual image he projected to her. Given the fact that he would have to project more than one image to ensure that she mastered the technique before trying the last task which was attempting to block Voldemort's presence from her consciousness, they could be at this for another hour at least, maybe two.

Severus was already beginning to feel the onset of a headache. He didn't want to stay here any longer than he had to. When this was finally done, he knew he'd be resting for quite a while.

"Focus on me if you must, Miss Granger. But first try focusing on a particularly vivid memory or mental image." he told her.

Hermione nodded. Severus entered her mind again, but unlike the first time he was immediately able to locate her subconscious mind. Legilimency was kind of like finding one's way through a maze, having reached the center of the mind once, one was able to memorize the exact path and get there ten times quicker than the first time.

_Now when I project the next image, I want you to ignore it completely. Pretend like it's not in front of your eyes, focus on something else, and it will disappear,_ he said in the same soft voice he had used earlier.

Severus sent Hermione an image of Voldemort's pet cobra.

Hermione's expression became distant as she tried to focus her thoughts on another image in her mind and cause the image of the snake to fade away.

Severus waited for the clarity of the image to falter, but after thirty seconds, the image of the snake was still as clear as it had been when he had first projected it to her.

_What are you focusing on?_ he asked her.

_My pet cat. It was the first thing I thought of. _Hermione told him defensively.

_That's not good enough, Miss Granger. Try focusing on me instead._

Hermione raised her head and locked gazes with her former professor. Severus stared at her, waiting for her to reduce the image of Nagini.

For several seconds nothing happened. Suddenly the image of the cobra faded completely.

_I take it I'm better at keeping your attention than that sorry creature you call a cat?_ Severus inquired softly.

_I _suppose _you could say that_ Hermione responded, her voice faltering a bit.

Suddenly without warning a completely unbidden image appeared in Severus's mind.

He was shirtless and had Hermione pinned against the wall she was now leaning against. Her legs were wrapped around his waist and he was ravenously kissing her neck while he slid a hand beneath her skirt.

Judging from the look on Hermione's face she saw the exact same image.

For several seconds neither one of them was able to do anything to stop the images from entering their minds.

_Make it go away,_ Hermione finally begged him as the image of herself began to erotically call out Severus's name.

_If I could, I would,_ he hissed._ Ignore it._

_Did you know this was going to happen? _she demanded.

Severus quickly withdrew from Hermione's mind before he hurt her by yelling inside of her head.

"Of course not!" he said outraged. Thankfully, upon breaking the connection between them, the image disappeared from their minds.

"You told me I would be too weak to be effected by the attraction the Occlumency creates."

"Yes, well I suppose I made mistake in thinking that. I'm not infallible you know."

Hermione let out a feminine snort.

"And I suppose you had no idea it was going to be that vivid?" Hermione asked him seriously. "Thank god you warned me of this, or else I would have thought that _you _were purposefully creating it."

"I've never taught Occlumency to a woman before. There was no way for me to know exactly what would happen!"

Hermione cursed vehemently.

"You have not yet accomplished the goal of this lesson," Severus told her firmly.

"You actually expect me to let you enter my mind again after what happened?" she asked incredulously.

"It's either that, or I leave you to deal with the effects of Voldemort's proximityalone."

Hermione glared at him.

"Isn't there anything we can do to prevent unwanted images from entering our minds?" she asked him seriously.

"I doubt it. I told you how the first Occlumency instructors prevented this from happening, didn't I?"

"They prevented it by forbidding a man to teach a woman Occlumency."

Severus nodded.

"I'm the only one who can help you, Miss Granger. If you want my help, you'll have to tolerate the images. If you don't want my help, I'll leave you alone. Maybe in time your mind will adjust to Voldemort's presence, . . .but I wouldn't count on it." he told her seriously and shrugged nonchalantly.

In truth, he was trying very hard-quite literally speaking-to ignore Hermione's recent appearance in his thoughts.

"So Miss Granger, what will it be?" he asked.

**A/N: **oh no, another little cliffie! Now I know I have quite a few silent readers. Could you please leave a review? If not I still appreciate the fact that you're continuing to read this. But I really want to hear from all of my readers.


	10. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: **I do not take credit for anything associated with Harry Potter. No financial profit is being made.

**Unlikely Partners**

**Chapter 9**

Hermione did not immediately respond.

"I'm waiting for you to answer me," Severus told her.

Hermione continued to stare at the floor, unable to look into her former professor's eyes.

"I don't know what to do," she said in a barely audible voice.

She could feel his gaze on her and could clearly envision him staring at her with an expression of restrained contempt, as if he held her responsible for what had just occurred because it was her problem that had put them in this situation.

Several seconds passed in silence. Hermione guessed that Severus was trying to put the scene they had just watched out of his mind forever.

Hermione was trying to do the same thing, but no matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't just forget about what she had seen.

Perhaps Severus was having an easier time than she was. After all, he was extremely accomplished at both Occlumency and Legilimency. It was possible that he knew some sort of trick that would purge his memory of the images in an instant.

Hermione expected him to break the silence. When he made no move to reply, she had to consciously stop herself from looking up into his face. For now, it was better that she avoid meeting his gaze.

Severus had considered leaving the room without another word when there had been no forthcoming response from Hermione. What had prompted him to remain in front of the girl now had more to do with his buried moral principles than it had to do with any logical reason.

He now had the notion that it would have been best to get the hell away from Hermione Granger as fast he could.

Yet he hadn't moved.

Severus gritted his teeth in order to keep himself from uttering a string of curses.

What he needed right now was a very cold shower and a glass of brandy.

But though that was true, he couldn't bring himself to leave Hermione while she was suffering.

He had told Remus and Nymphadora that he would keep Hermione safe and he'd be damned if he let himself walk away from the girl when she still needed his help.

She was in _his _care and he wasn't about to jeopardize her well-being.

But given the circumstances, he wasn't entirely sure that he had made the right decision.

If he tried to continue the Occlumency lesson and those damned images persisted, who wold protect Hermione from _him_?

Hermione thought about breaking the silence, but couldn't think of anything to say. She longed to be able to relax enough so that she could get some sound and undisturbed sleep.

Maybe if she forced herself to complete the Occlumency lesson with Severus she would be able to rest tranquilly for more hours than she cared to count and then when she woke up again she would be able to think of this day as the nightmare it seemed to be.

But completing the lesson involved her staring into the depths of Severus's dark eyes again.

After what had happened, would she even be able to do that?

For once she was at a total loss for an answer. This was most certainly not a situation she had studied in one of her books and she hadn't the faintest idea about how to deal with this particular scenario.

A part of her wanted to laugh at the sheer absurdity of this circumstance. Never in her wildest dreams had she believed that something like this could happen.

And yet here it was, quite a reality, and hardly new whether to laugh or to cry. Her nerves were so shot that she was on the verge of doing the latter if this situation didn't improve quickly.

She knew Severus hated indecisiveness. In the potions classroom he had made it very clear that indecisiveness in potions making could turn even the simplest of potions into a nasty explosion.

Hermione what Severus was now thinking.

He had yet to leave the room, so apparently he was still willing to help her.

More than anything else Hermione wanted the deep rooted sense of dread that was brought on by Voldemort's presenceto go away forever. The quicker that feeling was gone, the quicker she would return to a normal state of mind.

Hermione sighed softly. She knew what she had to do. Completing the lesson was the only way she was going to overcome Voldemort's effect on her.

"I want to finish the lesson," Hermione said firmly.

"Very well, Miss Granger." Severus told her calmly. "I suppose I don't need to tell you that you should focus your attention on something other than myself from now on,"

Hermione shot him an irritated glare.

"Don't worry. You'll be the very last thing on my mind."

Hermione shifted into a more comfortable position, but made sure that her grey cargo skirt adequately covered the skin of her thighs before she looked back at Severus.

"We'll start by having you reduce the image of Westminster Abbey. I don't want to try the image of the snake again lest it bring back the exact thing that caused us to stop this lesson," Severus explained to her.

He looked at Hermione and she nodded once, indicating that he could enter her mind. He did so with a split second focusing of his gaze on her eyes and then proceeded to quickly move though the layers of Hermione's mind to find the newly awakened part of her subconsciousness. Severus knew he was beginning to reach his limit on the strength it took to maintain the connection, but he couldn't think about that now.

He pictured the front entrance of Westminster Abbey and willed the same image to appear in Hermione's mind.

Hermione's gaze became distant and several seconds passed with the image still intact. Then slowly, Severus saw the image's clock face begin to flicker. A few heartbeats later, the image began to dissolve and fade to blackness until it was gone completely from both Severus's and Hermione's minds.

A smile crossed Hermione's face as she prided herself on her accomplishment. By focusing her attention on visualizing the day she returned home, she had successfully reduced the image of Westminster Abbey. But her moment of triumph was quite short lived as her mind was suddenly invaded with another risque scene starring her and her former professor.

Hermione tensed, unable to stop it. Her eyes widened as she clearly saw what their images were doing and she squeezed her eyes shut in an effort to make the images go away.

The action did nothing to decrease the image's intensity. Hermione was powerless to stop herself from being forced to view a detailed in scene in which she straddled her former professor and rode him slowly and rhythmically, her long hair thrown back over her shoulders as she tilted her head back in ecstacy. Severus's image tightened his hands on the bed sheets as Hermione lowered herself onto him completely.

_You must ignore it, _Severus said evenly inside her mind. _If you force me out of your mind, I cannot guarantee that I'll be able to enter it again without waiting for my power to strengthen. My strength is taxed each time I enter your mind._

_How long would you need to wait before entering my mind again?_ Hermione asked.

_Perhaps twenty minutes, perhaps an hour. It is also very possible that it would take much longer than that. I truly don't know and I'd rather not have to find out._

_And how much longer do we have to do this?_ Hermione questioned desperately.

_Until you're competent enough at reduction that you can keep the stimulus reduced indefinitely without expending any energy. If you're ready, we'll try that next step now._

Hermione didn't respond.

Severus sought to come up with an image that would ensure that Hermione would be able to successfully block Voldemort's presence from her mind. But trying to that while his body forced his attention on the images of him and Hermione was proving to be quite a difficult feat.

Severus took a deep steadying breath, trying to clear his mind as best he could, but the long low moan that Herione's image let out as his own image lifted his hips to move with her nearly made him shudder with intensifying arousal.

He had to think of another image, but unfortunately at the moment, all that filled his mind was the very realistic image of Hermione on top of him.

Hermione eyed him uneasily, as if she expected him to advance towards her at any second.

The images Severus saw changed. He stilled as he watched his image pull Hermione's against him and then roll on top of her with a roguish smile.

_This has got to stop right now, _Hermione said urgently.

Her words barely registered in Severus's brain.

_Please! If this keeps up any longer, I'm afraid of what will happen, _she told him.

_You have nothing to fear, Miss Granger. I'm not going to touch you! You only have one more task to complete. Then you'll be able to apply your skills at Shield Occlumency to get Voldemort's presence permanently off your mind._

_We'll just have to complete the lesson later_.

As soon as Hermione had thought the words, Severus's image began thrusting against hers. It quickly became too much for Hermione to bear.

Using her last reserve of energy Hermione stood up as quickly as she could and hurried out of the room. Back in the bedroom, her chest constricted as a wave of mind numbing panic gripped her heart.

Apparently the scant distance she had traveled was enough to bring back her earlier feelings of hysteria tenfold.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" she shrieked, with such soul deep intensity that it painfully wrenched her vocal chords.

Hermione fought for breath, willing herself to stay upright as the room spun before her eyes. She noticed that the connection between her and Severus had been broken again.

Severus appeared in the room and moved to stand in front of Hermione.

"I told you not to force me to break the connection," Severus said to her. There was no reproach in his voice. It was only a simple statement.

Hermione forced herself to breathe evenly.

"It . . . had to . . . be done," she told him between breaths.

"Do you think I would have forced myself on you?" he asked in a quiet tone.

"No!" Hermione said quickly. She focused on his eyes again. "Do you honestly think I would have resisted you? I just couldn't risk the possibility of something happening that neither of us would have wanted."

"I meant it when I said I would never touch you," Severus said sincerely.

"I know that's what you said, but I'm not sure if you–if either of us–could have resisted the urge to act on the desire for much longer."

Severus didn't answer immediately.

"But you'll still need to finish that last part of the lesson before you want to go to sleep. Unless you're planning on staying in the bathroom."

"There's only one more thing I have to learn, right?" she asked.

Severus nodded.

"I was able to make the image of Westminster Abbey go away before the other images began, so maybe I can complete this last task before they show up in our minds again,"

"Perhaps," Severus told her faintly.

As expected, his temples were beginning to throb with what would soon become excruciatingly sharp pain. He had known that the incapacitating headache was going to come, but he had hoped that it would have taken longer to manifest into truly intense pain. He could only guess how long it would last, but he certainly wasn't going to delude himself into thinking that it would go away quickly.

No, this one was definitely here to stay for awhile. The sound of Hermione's voice brought Severus from his thoughts.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

Severus narrowed his eyes at her, and then bit back a curse as the movement caused an explosion of pain inside his forehead.

"Why wouldn't I be?" he asked with a tinge of sarcasm in hs voice.

"You're trembling," she said with a hint of fear coloring her tone. "Is this a normal after effect of performing Legillimency?"

"I'm quite fine, Miss Granger," Severus clipped out.

"Are you sure?"

"I only have a bit of a headache," he told her, his tone more than a bit strained.

Hermione's expression became concerned. She knew his pain had to be greater than what he let on because of the tightness of his voice. And as she watched Severus grimace slightly in pain, she found that her own turmoil was dramatically decreasing as she focused her attention on the man in front of her.

Hermione saw Severus briefly close his eyes in silent agony and a sudden ida came to her, one that would be beneficial to both of them. All she had to do was convince her former professor to agree with her.

"Snape? I think I've realised that if I have something to take my mind off of Voldemort, I'll no longer be affected by his presence. Well, at least not as long as I can focus my attention on something else." she explained to him.

Severus stared at her. Searing pain radiated down his spinal cord and back up to the base of his brain.

"What do you want, Miss Granger? A crossword puzzle?" he asked her irritably.

"No, I just want you to let me take care of you while you're in pain,"

"Excuse me?" Severus asked her, fairly sure he hadn't heard her correctly.

"Look, right now I need to divert my attention away from Voldemort or else I'm going to drive myself up a wall. I need to focus my mind on some sort of activity so that I can actually have a moment's peace. I'm asking if you'll let me take your mind off of your headache." she told him seriously.

Hermione took a small step towards him. He didn't back away.

There was a pleading look in Hermione's eyes that Severus couldn't ignore. In truth, he was more than a little amazed that she still wanted to be near him.

_This day can't get any stranger and the situation certainly can't get any worse, _he thought to himself.

Finally he spoke to her again.

"What exactly do you have in mind, Miss Granger?"

Hermione smiled.

"Nothing bad, I promise you."

**A/N:** Please don't be a silent reader. I know there are a lot of you who haven't reviewed yet. I greatly appreciate all the comments I receive so please let me know what your thoughts are.


	11. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: **I don't take any credit for anything associated with Harry Potter. No financial profit is being made.

**Unlikely Partners**

**Chapter 10**

_Why the hell is she smiling?_ Severus wondered silently. He tried to focus his gaze on her face, but his vision blurred and then made him see double.

"Go over to your bed and make yourself comfortable. I'll be right back." Hermione told him, moving back towards the bathroom.

Severus wanted to ask Hermione what exactly she was planning to do, but intense pain combined with nausea prevented him from speaking. He could barely keep his eyes open, and he feared that if he tried to stay standing for much longer he'd collapse on the floor.

Hermione disappeared into the bathroom and Severus went to sit on the edge of his bed. He sat with his back to the bright sunlight streaming into the room, not wanting to expose his face to the intense light.

His heart pounded heavily in his eardrums, each time reverberating a sharp ache through his ear canal. It felt like two hot knives were slowly being slid into his temples. He tried, iron-willed, not to think about the torturous pain. But after exhausting himself in his attempt to teach Hermione Shield Occlumency, his strength was too spent for him to think about anything else.

His magical power had drained completely. At the moment he was as utterly "magic-less" as any Muggle. This had only occurred a scant few times in his life with his powers returning in as soon as a few hours and as long as a few months.

Severus swallowed, knowing that he had no way to determine how long his powers would be gone. In truth, he had known that the temporary loss of his powers was a possibility he had risked when he had made the decision to perform Legilimency for more than a few minutes at a time with no substantial break between each time he entered Hermione's mind.

But he had been so determined to finish Hermione's lesson that he had pushed himself far past his limit. And now he had to pay the price.

Hermione returned to the room, holding a folded white washcloth in her hands. She looked at him and moved her gaze to the large window behind him.

"I'd be happy to make this room darker, but can I perform magic here without Voldemort noticing?" she asked him.

"No, . . . you can't. But my wand is on that table against the wall. You may use it."

Hermione looked to her right and reached out to pick up Severus's wand. With a determined motion she directed it at the window and the Venetian blinds fell down and closed tightly, sufficiently blocking out all rays of sunlight. Hermione then returned Severus's wand to the table.

She moved toward the bed as Severus slowly changed his position and laid down on his back. Hermione was next to him as soon as his head touched one of the pillows.

"Here," she said to him, and gently placed the washcloth across his forehead. It was soothingly hot, and Severus exhaled evenly after it touched his skin. Hermione stepped back and glanced at the chair sitting in front of Severus's desk. She then went and retrieved Severus's wand from the the side table. With a deft flick of her wrist the chair moved towards her and she directed it so that it faced Severus.

Satisfied with its placement, Hermione put Severus's wand down. She went over and sat down in the chair she had moved.

"Has this ever happened to you before?" Hermione asked softly.

"Yes, . . . but not because of Legilimency or Occlumency," Severus told her.

Hermione had believed his reaction to be a side effect of the amount of Legilimency he had performed in the last hour and a half. But it didn't make sense for that to be true if this had happened at other times when there was no Legilimency or Occlumency involved.

Severus sighed deeply.

"This _is_ a side effect of performing Legilimency for so long, but it's _not_ something everyone experiences after doing so. I'm only experiencing these symptoms because I'm different from most who perform the art of Legilimency."

Hermione didn't say anything. She wanted to know more, but wasn't sure what else she could ask that wouldn't put him on guard. She decided to mentally file away the information he had told her and think about it later. Now, her primary concern was to get him feeling better so that he could help her master the final step of Shield Occlumency.

"I noticed there were plastic cups in the bathroom, would you like me to get you some water?" Hermione asekd.

"No. I doubt I would be able to hold it down."

Severus tensed suddenly as a jolt of pain seared down his spine. Thankfully, the pain left as quickly as it had come, but it left in its wake a wave of profound nausea so overwhelming that he involuntarily rolled onto his side and retched onto the floor.

A startled Hermione jumped up and hurried to get Severus's wand so that she could dispose of the mess with a a quick charm. Severus was still leaning over the side of the bed, his body shaking painfully with every breath when she had completed the spell.

He muttered the most profound expletive in the English language under his breath, but Hermione heard it clearly enough. Hermione picked the washcloth up from where it had fallen on the bed and looked at the man before her with a sympathetic expression.

"I'll go run this under hot water again," she told him.

Severus fell back against the mattress with a small groan of agony. It seemed like every synapse in his body was firing in shooting pain.

Hermione returned and placed the hot cloth back on his forehead.

"How long do you expect this to last?" Hermione asked gently.

Severus remained silent for several long seconds.

"I've lost all of my magical strength, Miss Granger. There have been times when I have recovered quickly in the past, but there's no way for me to know how it will go this time. I'll just have to wait and see what happens."

Hermione stilled. That had not been what she wanted to here. Completely losing one's reserve of magical strength was a serious thing indeed, she knew. And she couldn't think about what would happen if Severus didn't improve.

She sat back down and watched Severus, silently willing him to return to full health.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?" she asked, barely above a whisper.

"No. Unless you happen to be some kind of miracle worker, there isn't a damn thing you can do."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The Order of the Phoenix had gathered at Number 12 Grimmauld Place for one of their fortnightly meetings. It was late in the evening and everyone was assembled in the old house's parlor, waiting for Minerva McGonagall to call the meeting to order.

Remus glanced at Nymphadora who was leaning against him on one of the room's two sofas. Nymphadora had requested to be the first to speak at tonight's meeting. She and Remus had agreed that it would be better to let everyone in the Order know what was going on with Severus and Hermione as early on in the meeting as possible.

Remus moved his gaze around the room, trying to judge what people's reactions would be. Mad-Eye Moody sat on the piano bench smoking a pipe. Out of all the Order's members, he was the only one who still didn't trust Severus. Undoubtedly, he would be the most outraged about what had happened. Fred and George Weasley sat on the floor against the wall.

It was hard for Remus to guess how they would react. If he was a betting man, he would have put his money on the chance that they would protest against the situation. Molly and Arthur Weasley sat in kitchen chairs by the doorway. Molly was what Bill called a "Severus Supporter" and Remus pegged her to understand the importance of carrying out the intricate ruse, especially since Hermione would be in grave danger if she refused to comply with Severus's request. Remus knew Arthur would side with her.

Sitting on the sofa opposite from Remus and Nymphadora were Bill and Fleur. Bill's face had improved over the weeks, though the side of his face held a tangled network of shiny scar tissue and there was a scar above and below his left eye. The scar on his eye was now pink, but would eventually fade to white.

Bill's hair was down, around his face, in an effort to obscure some of the scar tissue. His bride-to-be held his hand and smiled at her fiancé. It was hard to predict what they would say after they had learned Nymphadora's news. Bill didn't like Severus. But he didn't possess the deep distrust and even hatred that Mad-Eye had for the man.

Professor Flitwick sat on a low stool next to the couch. Remus doubted there would be much protesting from him. The diminutive man respected Severus Snape and would trust him in almost any situation.

The Nigerian Kingsley Shacklebolt had spoken with Severus enough to know that he was no Voldemort supporter. Also, he didn't know Hermione and wouldn't have the personal concern for her that everyone who knew her would have.

That left Minerva. Remus knew she trusted Severus almost as much as Dumbledore had. She was also extremely intelligent and would see that there had been no way to avoid putting Hermione into the situation she was now in.

Remus let out a soft sigh. It was time to see if his initial guesses were correct. Minerva had risen from her seat and all eyes were now on her.

"Tonight we have several matters to discuss. We have many issues to address, but before we start with the reports, Nymphadora has informed me that she wishes to give us some rather important information." Minerva announced.

Everyone's gaze shifted to rest on Nymphadora.

"A few days ago, Severus told Remus and me that Voldemort has become excessively paranoid after the loss of his second horcrux. Somehow, Voldemort has sensed that Harry wishes to seek out and destroy the five horcruxes that he knows about. So Voldemort came up with a plan to prevent Harry from finding those horcruxes and ordered Severus to help him carry out this plan."

The room was tense with silence.

Mad-Eye snorted. "I'm sure Snape was more than happy to comply."

"What's the plan?" George asked.

Nymphadora was silent for a few seconds, trying to figure out how to best state what had happened without causing half the room to erupt in anger.

"The plan was for Severus to take a female hostage. Someone who is close to Harry."

"What do you mean by the plan '_was_'?" Fred asked seriously.

"The plan has already been executed," Nymphadora said clearly.

"Nymphadora, what are you saying?" Minerva asked.

"Listen! Before I say _anything_ else, all of you have to realise that Severus is in complete control of the situation."

"What happened?" Minerva demanded.

"Severus asked me to convince Hermione to be his captive. She agreed to it and is with him now. She's staying in Severus's private rooms."

"WHAT?" Fred and George shouted in unison.

"You actually let that girl be taken to Voldemort?" Mad-Eye asked.

"Yes, but you must understand"–

"What the hell possessed you to make such a decision without consulting us first?" Bill asked irately.

"The poor girl's probably being Crucio'ed as we speak, and it's _your _fault." Mad-Eye said scathingly.

"SHUT UP ALASTOR!" Remus roared. He very rarely raised his voice, but on the few occasions that he did, he was able to immediately bring everyone to silence.

"How long is Hermione going to have to stay with him?" Molly asked, speaking for the first time.

"We don't know." Nymphadora told her.

"What are Harry and Ron going to think when Hermione doesn't show up for the wedding?" Arthur asked.

"Hermione can write a note to you saying that she's too ill to make it to the wedding, give it to Severus, and he'll deliver it to you in time for the wedding so that you can show it to Harry and Ron. A couple days after the wedding, Severus will tell Harry that he has Hermione." Nymphadora explained.

"What kind of guarantee do you have that Severus won't hurt her?" Fred asked.

"Severus is an honorable man.– Nymphadora began.

"Minerva, may I check this woman for being under the Imperius curse?" Mad-Eye asked.

Remus sent him a dangerous glare and Minerva decided that it was a good idea to change the subject.

"Before this conversation gets any more out of hand, I'd like to move on to another topic of discussion." Minerva said authoritatively. "Nymphadora, did Severus mention anything about Narcissa and Draco Malfoy?"

"No. But I didn't ask. The matter concerning Hermione took precedence over all other topics of conversation."

"I see." Minerva moved her gaze to Mad-Eye. "Do you believe that it's likely the two have left the country, Alastor?"

The old auror shrugged.

"It's very possible. If they're still in England, they're living without magic, or else the Ministry would have been able to detect their location long before now."

Minerva nodded.

"What are everyone's thoughts on whether Narcissa and Draco are still in Voldemort's good graces?"

Flitwick spoke for the first time. "Draco enabled the Death Eaters to enter the castle. Voldemort might look upon Draco's actions favorably for that."

"Draco failed the ultimate task, though. Didn't Narcissa tell Severus that Voldemort threatened to kill Draco, if he failed to kill Dumbledore?" George asked. "So the two of them could be in hiding."

"Narcissa never did anything to anger Voldemort. Severus says he never found out about the Unbreakable Vow. Would she be willing to go on the run for something her son did?" Bill asked.

"Considering the risk she took to make the Unbreakable Vow in the first place, she obviously doesn't want to see Draco die." Remus pointed out.

"Yes, but look at the situation this way," said Kingsley. "Severus said that Bellatrix voiced some serious doubts about his loyalty to Voldemort. What if Narcissa was just acting, and the true purpose of their visit was to perform the Unbreakable Vow as a test of Severus's loyalty. If he made the vow and killed Dumbledore, or helped kill him if Draco had done the deed, they would perceive him as being a true follower of Voldemort. If he made the vow and refused to kill Dumbledore, he would die, and The Order of the Phoenix would lose their most valuable spy. If that had been the case and the women were questioned under Veritaserum, Voldemort would likely praise them for their deed."

"Perhaps Voldemort didn't mean for Draco to try to kill Dumbledore at all, perhaps the real purpose was to see where Severus stood." Flitwick stated.

"But Draco did raise his wand to Dumbledore but he couldn't bring himself to cast the killing curse." said Nymphadora. "And he was in the presence of several Death Eaters when that happened. Voldemort is bound to know that Draco hesitated, and I doubt he's going to let him get by without some kind of punishment."

"If Narcissa and Draco have left the country, where might they have gone?" Minerva asked.

"Aurors are being dispatched to France, Ireland, Germany and Spain at the end of this week." Nymphadora told her.

Minerva sighed. "I suppose all we can do now is wait to find out more information." She turned to Remus. "How is the Latin translation coming?"

"I've found out why Dumbledore was harmed when he destroyed the second horcrux. Apparently horcruxes can only be directly destroyed by the their maker. Though in Harry's case, because of his connection to Voldemort, he is the only person other than Voldemort who has the power to directly destroy a horcrux. Now, the indirect destruction of a horcrux might be something anyone can do without suffering any ill effects."

"What does indirect destruction involve?" Minerva asked.

"I've only just begun to work on the part that explains it. I'll know more at the next meeting."

"Very well. I'll expect a copy of written information on the subject." She then addressed everyone in the room. "Now let's move to the rest of the reports. Kingsley, let's hear yours first."

Minerva then reached into something that resembled a carpet bag next to her and withdrew a clipboard and self inking quill. She then settled down to hear the rest of the night's reports which would hopefully have less outraged interjection than when Nymphadora had given her information.

**A/N: **Review please! Your opinions mean a lot to me.


	12. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: **I don't take credit for anything associated with Harry Potter. No financial profit is being made.

**Unlikely Partners**

**Chapter 11**

Hermione stayed by Severus's bedside, waiting for some kind of sign that he was finally beginning to recover. After a couple of hours, it seemed that Severus was able to relax.

_Or else he's doing a remarkably good job hiding his pain from me_, Hermione told herself.

Severus's eyes were closed and his breathing was deep and even.

_If he's truly asleep, perhaps he'll be fully recovered when he awakes._

Hermione wondered what she should do. After everything that had happened that day, she was both mentally and physically exhausted. And right now her only desire was to lay down and close her eyes.

At the moment it was as if she had never been affected by Voldemort's presence at all. There was no trace of the soul wrenching emotional anguish she had felt the previous night.

While Hermione was more than happy that the terrible feeling was gone completely, she wished she knew the reason for why it had left her now.

Her first theory was that devoting her mind to making Severus comfortable while he battled the pain of his headache enabled her to block Voldemort's presence from her mind. But as the hours stretched on while she watched over Severus, she was now having doubts about her first thoughts on the matter.

In all honesty, during the past hour or so, she hadn't been active much and the few tasks she had performed, like reheating the washcloth for Severus's forehead, would hardly be considered mentally or physically challenging. So with that in mind, Hermione wondered what was keeping her from thinking about Voldemort's close proximity.

She had thought that taking care of Severus would keep her mind occupied enough so that she would be too busy concentrating on her former professor to be stricken with the deep emotional pain Voldemort had caused her.

But now, that line of thought didn't make a whole lot of sense. For one, Hermione hadn't done any activity that required much concentration. She had done more watching and waiting than any actual _doing_, and she had a hard time believing that the relief from Voldemort's presence in her mind was because of any physical task she had done. For another, she was almost completely certain that if she had tried to occupy herself with some other activity, like doing a crossword puzzle, earlier in the day before Severus had returned, she would have been unable to get her mind off of Voldemort and the fact that he was only a couple of floors below in the same building as she.

Hermione blew out a sigh.

_Then why the hell do I feel so utterly fine and normal now? I failed to complete my Occlumency lesson, so nothing has changed that I can think of. But something definitely did change, or else I would be feeling the exact same thing I did last night when I was in this room. But what is it that's different?_

Hermione leaned back and stretched her spine in an effort to work out a few kinks in her back muscles caused by sitting in the same position for a long time.

_Too bad I don't have a book on hand that holds the answer._

A movement from Severus brought Hermione out of her thoughts. He had raised himself up on his hands and turned his head to look at her.

Hermione stared at him, unsure of what to say. She didn't want to ask him if he felt better and then have him turn surly at her mention of the profound pain he had been in a few hours ago. She would hate to bring up the fact that he had been extremely ill and have him distance himself from her because he felt his pride was damaged because she had seen him in such a weakened state.

So she bit back the sentence, "Is your pain gone?" that had been about to slip out of her mouth at her first sight of him. Though now, she was self conscious of the fact that she was staring at him. So in an effort to break the silence, she settled with a simple greeting.

"Hello," she said to him, suddenly feeling incredibly dumb for saying something so unnecessary.

Severus regarded her for several seconds before responding.

"Hello, Miss Granger."

There was another stretch of silence.

"It's good to see you're not in any emotional distress." Severus told her.

"For the past couple of hours I've felt perfectly fine," Hermione said to him.

"So you've managed to push Voldemort's presence to the back of your mind?" Severus asked.

"Well, . . . no. It's as if his proximity never bothered me at all. If I do think about him, it doesn't cause my chest to tighten in panic and my mind can function just as it normally would if I wasn't here right now."

"Are you telling me that you've suddenly become completely cured?" Severus asked.

"To me, it feels like it, but I have no idea why I'd feel any different now than I did last night or even this afternoon." she told him slowly.

"You have absolutely none of the feelings you experienced previously?"

"No, not right now. Do you know why that could be?" she asked him hopefully.

Severus didn't reply. His eyes narrowed in thought, but after several seconds he still did not reply. Hermione was beginning to wonder if his pain had returned and he was trying not to show it, but then he stood up.

"Miss Granger, I believe, . . . that if what your saying is true, the effects of the Occlumency lesson are extending beyond the period of teaching. If your subconscious mind sees me as a . . . sexual partner . . .--"

"What? No! The images ended the instant you pulled out of my mind!"

"Miss Granger, I'm referring to your _subconscious _mind, not your conscious one. And the images we both saw were present in our conscious minds. It is almost impossible for anyone but a master Legilimens to determine what exactly lies in their subconscious thoughts."

"Fine. What do my subconscious thoughts have to do with the fact that I'm no longer troubled by Voldemort's proximity?" Hermione demanded.

"Well, Miss Granger, for a woman, a sexual partner can also be her most trusted protector."

"So you're saying that if my subconscious mind sees you as a sexual partner, my subconscious mind also sees you as a protector and somehow that accounts for the fact that while I'm with you I don't feel affected by Voldemort being close to me?" Hermione asked incredulously.

"Yes." Severus said simply. "And I can prove myself either right or wrong by doing one thing."

"Which is?"

"Leaving the room. If you suddenly start to experience intense mental anguish at my absence, and it goes away as soon as I return, my theory is more than likely correct." Severus told her.

"But what does it matter? Can't you just finish teaching me the last step of Shield Occlumency?" Hermione asked.

"Miss Granger, I may be back to normal physically, and my magical strength is beginning to reach its normal level, but if I can avoid doing any type of Legilimency for the next few days the risk of me returning to the state I was in earlier will be greatly reduced."

"Okay, that's understandable, but you don't even know if you're the reason that I'm now back to feeling totally fine."

"That will be determined now." Severus told her and turned his back, beginning to walk out of the room. "Don't move any closer to me or else this test will not work right."

Hermione stared at her former professor's retreating form and waited to find out if he was right about his theory. She heard the sound of the door closing in the other room and wondered if anything would happen.

Then as if a switch had been flipped, Hermione once again experienced the agonizing sensation of her soul being burned by the overwhelming sadistic energy radiating off of Voldemort. Again, it was as if half of the oxygen in the room had quickly left.

Hermione struggled to get an adequate amount of air into her lungs. She blew her breath out unevenly and then inhaled again, but this time she noticed that she was again able to breathe normally. A few seconds later, Severus came into view.

"It happened again," Hermione told him softly. Severus nodded curtly.

"As I thought it would."

"What are we going to do, now?" Hermione asked him.

"I would think that's fairly obvious, Miss Granger. For the next couple of days or so, I'll have to stay here with you." Severus said to her.

"The illegal potions lab on Downing Street won't miss you?"

"My position at the lab allows me to dictate what hours and days I'm there. The lab's workers believe me to be serving Voldemort and they expect me to be absent now and then."

"Oh. All right. . . . but how are you going to stay with me at night if there's only one bed in the room?"

"I'll transfigure that chair you're sitting on into a mattress."

"Oh . . . what precisely, are you planning to do here for the next forty eight hours?" Hermione asked.

"Forgive me, but I haven't made an hour by hour mental schedule, Miss Granger."

Hermione sent him an icy glare and Severus snorted derisively.

"Scowling at me won't do anything to improve this situation," Severus told her with a smirk.

Hermione opened her mouth to reply, but then abruptly snapped it shut before she said anything that would make him angry. At the moment, her fate was in his hands. If he chose, he could leave her alone in this room and go about his life without giving her a second thought.

He had only offered to stay with her because he felt bound to uphold the vow he had made to Remus and Nymphadora that he would personally ensure that she was kept safe.

Hermione swallowed, hardly able to believe that this was actually happening. She had the almost irresistible urge to pinch herself to see if all of this wasn't just a bad dream.

But, no. This was reality.

Severus moved away from her.

"Where are you going?" Hermione asked quickly.

Severus regarded her with a quizzical look.

"I was on my way to the kitchen in the room next to this one. I thought I'd have some tea and a bit of toast." Severus told her.

Hermione hadn't had any thing to eat since the previous evening. By now, toast and tea sounded almost heavenly.

"If you want something to eat and drink, come with me." Severus told her.

Hermione rose from the chair. Severus turned his back to her and led the way out of his bedchamber back to the large room that opened into the hallway.

There was a kitchen area along the far wall. In the middle of the room was a green sofa and a cast iron and glass table. Bookshelves lined the wall to the left of the sofa on either side of the mahogany door.

Hermione half expected to feel the affect of Voldemort's presence again upon entering the room, but as she walked further into the room, she didn't feel any different.

She breathed a soft sigh of relief. But a few seconds later she stiffened as a sudden realization dawned on her.

_I now have to accept the fact that I have some kind of secret desire for Severus Snape._

Hermione darted her gaze to her former professor who was putting a tea kettle on the stove.

_He could be wrong. Just because I quit experiencing the emotional torment when I'm near him doesn't necessarily mean that a part of me would like to have sex with him! Isn't there a possibility of some perfectly innocent, alternative explanation?_

_Yes, there has to be,_ she told herself firmly.

The smell of fresh blackberry jam drifted to her nostrils and she decided to go over and see what there was to eat. She refused to think about Severus as anything other than her former professor.

And she certainly wasn't about to acknowledge the possibility that he could ever be anything more.

Hermione did not lust for the man who had once been Hogwarts most feared potions master. The next two days would prove that to be true.

As long as there was no Occlumency lesson, there would be nothing to worry about.

_But then, what happens it comes time for the last part of the lesson to be completed?_ a small voice in the back of Hermione's mind wondered.

Hermione forced the thought from her mind and went over to where Severus was standing.

**A/N: **Yes, Severus had a quick recovery. This time. And I don't want to disappoint, but Severus and Hermione are NOT going to be jumping each other any time in the next few chapters. I'm going to be continuing this story for quite a long while so I will have ample time to build their relationship.

Please leave a review! All of your comments are greatly appreciated.


	13. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: **I don't take credit for anything associated with Harry Potter. No financial profit is being made.

**Unlikely Partners**

**Chapter 12**

Severus retrieved the tea kettle from the stove and poured hot water into two teacups. He then opened a cabinet above his head and opened a box of tea bags. He took two packages out of the box, ripped them open, and dropped the tea bags inside into the cups full of water.

Hermione was standing in front of the counter and had taken a plate of fresh toast. Her gaze was focused on her light meal and she said nothing as she daintily chewed the bread topped with blackberry jam. Severus picked up a piece of toast from the plate next to him and took a bite. He looked over at Hermione, but though he knew she was well aware of the fact that he was watching her, she refused to meet his gaze.

"If you would like something more substantial, I do have better food in this kitchen," Severus told her.

"This is fine," Hermione replied. When she spoke she still did not look into his eyes.

Severus sensed a coldness in her tone and raised an eyebrow. He stared at Hermione for several long seconds, the force of his gaze slowly building until she looked up into his face.

"What?" she asked.

"Miss Granger, . . . it is not my fault that you have been put into this situation. Do not blame me for causing things to happen as they have."

Hermione didn't reply. She turned away from him and inspected the tea steeping in her cup.

After more than two minutes of silence, Severus stepped closer to her so that Hermione had no choice but to acknowledge his presence.

"Do you honestly think that ignoring me will make things easier for you?" he asked her. He stood less than a foot away from her and she stiffened at his close proximity.

"I . . ."

"The situation is what is is," Severus told Hermione. "Surely you understand that the affects of the Occlumency lesson were beyond your control."

"Yes, well I understand that it's not because of something I consciously made happen."

"Do you?" Severus asked silkily.

Hermione took a step backward. Severus took a step forward.

"Getting upset over something you cannot change will only hurt you," Severus told her softly.

Hermione stilled at the dark look in her former professor's eyes. Severus was now barely a hand's width away from her body and she could feel the heat of his body next to hers.

Severus stared at her, taking in every detail of her reaction to him. He could all too easily imagine what it would be like to reach out and position her against him and bring his lips to hers.

As soon as the thought entered his mind, Severus quickly returned to his senses.

"I'm sorry," he told her, stepping away from her. He turned back to his tea, silently berating himself for letting the effects of the Occlumency lesson control his actions to such a degree.

Hermione stared at him and turned his head slightly to meet her gaze. He was shocked to see that there were tears brimming in Hermione's eyes.

"Miss Granger, please forgive me. What I just did was out of line."

_Shit. If she wasn't afraid of me before, she's certainly afraid of me now._

"You should have never tried to teach me Occlumency," Hermione told him. "There must be another way you could have stopped Voldemort's presence from affecting me."

"Besides letting you go free, there wasn't anything else I could do that would have made a significant difference."

Hermione blinked back her tears and glared at Severus.

"This is not how I planned on spending my summer. I didn't ask to come here, I didn't ask to be painfully affected by Voldemort's presence or be forced to think about you as a sexual partner. I don't want to stay here anymore. I'm tired of dealing with all the unforseen problems that are beyond my control. All I want to do is go home!"

"I can't let you do that, Miss Granger."

"_Obviously,"_ Hermione said scathingly. "I have to stay here with you and hope we don't end up fucking because the sexual desire brought on by the Occlumency lesson proves to be more than either of us can handle!"

Severus stared at an outraged Hermione, temporarily at a loss for words.

"I promise you, I won't let the affects of the Occlumency lesson get the better of me," Severus told her evenly. Hermione let out a feminine snort.

"You say that now, but you and I will have to stay with each other for the next two days at least. You can make all the promises you want, but can you truly, honestly, guarantee that you won't make another advance on me?"

"I already told you, you have no reason to fear me Miss Granger,"

"Don't you dare, "Miss Granger" me now, Snape! And don't you dare dodge the question."

Severus breathed out slowly.

"What precisely do you want me to tell you? That I'll keep my distance under all circumstances and no matter what I shall refrain from seducing you into my bed? Is that promise to your satisfaction?"

Hermione only looked at him, her gaze reproachful.

"You're pretending that this growing attraction between us doesn't exist. The only way that we will be able to deal with this rationally is if we both acknowledge that the affects of the Occlumency lesson are much stronger than what we first thought. If we can do that, we will be able put forth the effort needed to make sure the effects don't control our actions."

"I'm more than capable of dealing with this situation on my own, in my own way. I don't need you to tell me how to control my behaviour." Severus told Hermione icily.

For a fleeting couple of seconds there was a hurt look in Hermione's eyes. She quickly regained composure and hardened her gaze.

"Why do you have to be so mean to me?" she asked him. "Do you really hate me as much as you did during my first two years at Hogwarts?"

There was a couple seconds silence before Severus spoke.

"I never hated you, Hermione." he told her quietly. "I truly hate only a handful of people on this Earth and you are not one of them."

Hermione was shocked to hear him call her by her first name.

Severus suddenly realized what he'd done and looked up into Hermione's eyes.

"Perhaps we can put this argument behind us?" he asked her.

"I'd like that," Hermione told him truthfully. "But that doesn't mean we can forget about what was created by the Occlumency."

"I know. I don't think there is any reason why we can't but the attraction out of our minds and remain on speaking terms while we do so."

"You know it may not be easy,"

"If there was ever two people who could successfully resist the power of this artificial attraction, I believe you and I are the two who can."

Hermione gave him a small smile.

"I hope you're right."

**A/N: **Sorry for the short chapter. Real life has recently allowed next to no time for writing. :-( I can't say when I'll get another chapter posted, but I hope to post again before the end of the year. Please review, even though it was a short chapter, I tried to make it as good as I could. ;-)


	14. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: **I don't take credit for anything associated with Harry Potter. No financial profit is being made.

**Unlikely Partners**

**Chapter 13**

It was well into the morning when Hermione awoke from a restful sleep. To her relief, this morning was unlike the previous one. There was no sudden assault on her mind that stemmed from being close to Voldemort. There was no profound and painful awareness of Voldemort's presence. Hermione could breathe easily and for several seconds she just enjoyed the fact that she could fill her lungs with oxygen.

The next thing Hermione noticed was that she smelled the wonderful aroma of freshly cooked breakfast food coming in from the other room. Her next thought was of Severus. Hermione rolled to the right and peered off the edge of the bed to the white mattress Severus had magically created the night before. Severus wasn't on the mattress.

_Is Severus _cooking?

Then suddenly after that she thought, _Well obviously he is, Hermione. What else could explain the presence of that smell?_

Hermione sat up and got out of Severus's bed, stepping across his mattress to get to the bathroom, grabbing her bag of fresh clothes and other personal items from underneath the side table as she passed by it. A few minutes later Hermione appeared in Severus's sitting room dressed in a white knee length skirt and light peachy orange short sleeved top. She wore the white camisole she had slept in underneath the V-necked shirt, more for propriety's sake than anything else.

Severus was standing at the stove, tending a skillet of bacon when Hermione started to approach him. Before she reached the room's kitchen area, Severus turned to face her.

"Ah, you've finally risen." Severus remarked as Hermione went to the white marble sideboard to pour herself a cup of hot water for tea out of the slightly steaming kettle.

Hermione said nothing as she opened a tea bag package and submerged the contents in her water. She took a deep breath and stared down at her cup for a few seconds, focusing her gaze on the hot water quickly turning a russet brown as the tea diffused into it.

"Still set on ignoring me, are you?" Severus questioned her.

Hermione turned her head and raised her gaze to Severus's face just a couple of seconds after he chose to look away from her and direct his attention on the iron pan in front of him again.

Severus let out a quiet sigh, saying softly under his breath, "Perhaps it's for the best."

Hermione had been about to say that ignoring Severus hadn't been her intention at all, but upon heaing his last comment, she bit back the words that were just a second away from forming on her lips. She shifted her gaze away from Severus's face, now unsure of what to say.

_There could be some truth in what he said,_ she told herself as she resumed staring at her darkening tea. _Though it's not as if I can ignore the man for the entire duration of my stay,_ she thought. _I'll likely be here for weeks, maybe even months . . ._

No, trying to totally ignore Severus wouldn't do. Hermione had to suppress the urge to let out a derisive snort at the very thought.

_But perhaps after my quite colourful outburst last night, he's decided that he wants to have as little to do with me as possible._

Hermione leaned against the edge of the sideboard and slowly moved the tea bag back and forth in her cup, looping the string loosely around her index finger.

_I suppose, given some of the things I said, I can't really blame him for wanting to keep his distance. I really should apologise to him, but I have to wonder if it would make a difference. If I did apologise, would he even care?_

_Regardless of his reaction, I must at least make an effort to change things. I truly hate this tension between us. It's almost as worse as arguing like we did last night._

Hermione eyed her tea again and satisfied with its coloration, she reached forward to the paper towel dispenser in front of her, ripped off a square, folded it in half and set it on topof the marble. She then took the tea bag out of her cup and dropped it gently onto the paper towel.

Hermione raised her teacup and inhaled the tea's mild and soothing aroma. She took a small sip to test its temperature. It was hot, but not scalding.

Hermione set her cup back on the surface of the sideboard and looked at Severus. When he did not look in her direction, she took a tentative step towards her former potions professor.

"I want to apologise for how I acted last night," Hermione began. Severus still did not meet her gaze. "I should never have said some of the things I did . . . And what's more, I want you to know that I _do_ trust you,"

Severus turned his head to rest his gaze on Hermione's face. His expression couldn't be easily read, but Hermione thought she saw a flicker of surprise and then a glimpse of true gratitude in the depths of his dark eyes.

"Miss Granger, considering what you've recently been put through, you have every right to be upset," Severus said to her.

"Yes, but that's no excuse for how I acted." Hermione told him.

"There's no need for you to dwell on this," said Severus as he transferred the bacon from the stove to a plate. "It's all right. I understand that you're . . . less than pleased . . . to be here."

"But it's not because of you. Please don't think it's because of you," Hermione told him sincerely.

Severus held her gaze without blinking.

"It's not necessary for you to conceal any resentment you feel towards me," he told her evenly.

Hermione looked up into his eyes with a solemn gaze.

"But I don't resent you, Snape," she said to him softly but clearly.

"It might be better if you did," he told her seriously, his eyes staring into hers.

Hermione felt a chill run down her spine.

"I don't think it would be."

Hermione was vaguely aware that her voice was slightly breathless. Had she been holding her breath for a long time? She hadn't noticed. All of her attention was focused on the man in front of her. She had seen him hundreds of times before and yet never had she been so completely aware of him. Aware of his masculinity. Aware of how his fine chiseled cheekbones and jaw made his face quite pleasing to look at. Aware of the strands of silky jet black hair that fell just above his shoulders . . . Was his hair as soft and smooth as it looked?

Hermione was close enough to reach out and touch the side of his face but she didn't dare move. Her gaze stayed firmly fixed to Severus's dark eyes. His eyes gave nothing away, but seconds ticked by and yet he did not look away.

_Dammit Hermione, snap out of it!_ she told herself as she realized what was happening. Her eyes widened and she took a small step back. Severus turned away.

After a few long seconds he said, "If you resented me that would not have happened."

"You want me to resent you?"

Severus let out a sigh. "What I want is for the magic from that bloody fucking thrice damned Occlumency lesson to completely wear off."

Hermione turned back to her tea and took another long sip. She didn't mention the fact that Severus still had to teach her the final part of the reduction process.

_Surely the magic from yesterday's lesson will wear off in the next day and when it affects us again we'll be expecting it and will ready for it so it won't affect us badly as the first time, _she thought.

Hermione decided that it was a good idea to change the subject.

"If this breakfast tastes as good as it smells, I may just tell Molly Weasley I've found her rival in the kitchen,"

_Yeah, that really sounded intelligent,_ she thought, mentally berating herself.

"It's more of a luncheon actually as it's now almost noon." he explained to her.

"It's that late?" Hermione asked, surprised.

"Yes, Miss Granger. It's that late."

Hermione saw that silverware was set out on the dining table against the left wall. Severus saw where she was looking and reached up to the cabinet above his head and brought two white plates down. He put one next to the stove and held the other one out to Hermione.

"Here. The eggs were finished not long before you came into the room."

Hermione took the plate from him.

"Thank you,"

Severus threw her a look.

"You're acting as if I'm going out of my way to provide you with what you want. I'm really not, you know. I, like any other mortal man, require food to live, and as Death Eaters here don't employ their own servants, I must prepare my meals myself."

Hermione passed Severus and went to the counter space to the right of the stove where he had laid out all the food. She selected a couple of eggs and a couple of biscuits.

Severus took a few strips of bacon and then handed the plate to Hermione. She put the plate on the counter with the rest of the food and took what she wanted. She then went to pick up the rest of her tea and walked over to the rectangular table, set her plate down and took a seat.

A minute later Severus joined her, sitting in the chair across from her.

"Am I allowed to speak to you, or must you eat in silence?" Hermione asked him.

Severus arched a brow.

"It depends on what you're going to say. If you're about to bring up the subject of why Albus trusted me, don't waste your breath asking. You won't get any answers from me right now."

Hermione looked at him and took a sip of her tea.

"That wasn't what I was thinking about," she told him.

"No? Then go ahead and say what you want."

Hermione took a small bite of biscuit and swallowed it before speaking.

"What happened to Draco?"

"That's an interesting question," Severus said before taking a drink of tea. "I've not seen the boy since the last night I was at Hogwarts. I'd imagine that he's with his mother somewhere on the Continent, the Malfoys have property in France and Germany. Voldemort is quite keen to see both Draco and Narcissa. I'm sure he's told Bellatrix to bring to his attention any correspondence Narcissa might send her."

"So Voldemort wants to punish Draco for not following his orders," said Hermione.

"That depends on the degree of value he perceives Draco to have," Severus told her.

"It's been over a month, surely Voldemort can't be very happy that Draco and Narcissa are avoiding him,"

"Very true, if given the chance, he may very well torture the boy to death. But there's still a small possibility that he'll give Draco an opportunity to redeem himself. Voldemort has been known to give second chances. It's very rare for him to do so, but it does happen. At this point, there's no way to know for sure."

Hermione swallowed a bite of bacon and said, "Is Voldemort stronger now that he looks more or less fully human?"

"The only reason he's not going out to kill Potter this afternoon is because he has to recover from creating two fresh Horcruxes. I'm sure you noticed his pale skin, if he were to go out into the sunlight he'd have severe damage done to his exposed flesh. He's also physically weak, though still very much immortal with all of seven Horcruxes intact."

"How long will it be before he regains his full strength?" Hermione asked.

"I don't think it will be any longer than three or four months. While he recovers, he doesn't want there to be any possibility of Potter going out and destroying more Horcruxes."

"And that's why I'm here," Hermione stated flatly.

Severus nodded once.

"What's going to happen in three or four months?"

"Are you familiar with the Muggle term 'total war'?"

Hermione's eyes widened slightly. "You truly think it will come to that?"

Severus's expression was grim.

"I honestly hope it doesn't, Miss Granger. But the Order of the Phoenix must prepare for the possibility. Though, . . . I may be able to do something to increase the Order's likelihood of success. I've been working on an experimental potion, though it's still in the early stages of development. If I can perfect the formula, successfully brew the potion within the next two months or so, and get the bastard downstairs to drink it, I believe Potter will be able to save the world a second time."

"What sort of potion are you trying to make?" asked Hermione with interest.

"One that's never been made before. If I can get it right, the potion will render Voldemort magicless for a period of time, and if that can occur, Potter can kill him."

"But Voldemort can't be magicless unless all of his Horcruxes are destroyed first, can he?"

"Not with seven of them intact, no. But if some of them, even two or three can be found and destroyed, Voldemort will be susceptible to the potency of the potion."

Hermione looked thoughtfully at her plate for a couple of seconds and then raised her gaze to Severus's.

"Seeing as how I'm here and I don't have terribly much to do for the next several weeks, might you let me work with you on this potion? If the two of us work together the potion can be completed quicker than if you work alone."

"Creating this new potion is not easy work by any means. It is far beyond even the most complicated of University level potions. This is a task that requires a tremendous amount of effort and is unlike any potion you have ever made. However, over the years you've shown that you have an aptitude for complex potion making that I've only seen a select handful of students possess. I will allow you to assist me, but you must do exactly what I tell you to do. Developing this potion is a very exact science, in a normal situation a potion like the one I am trying to create could take years to successfully complete."

Severus regarded Hermione for a couple of seconds with a steady gaze.

"Are you sure you're up to the challenge?"

**A/N: **Sorry for the wait. Again, I'm not sure when I'll be able to update. I have to get exploratory surgery next week because I've had bad ovarian pain. :(

Please leave me a review, your opinions and comments are much appreciated.


	15. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: **I don't take credit for anything associated with Harry Potter. No financial profit is being made.

**Unlikely Partners**

**Chapter 14**

Hermione stared at her former professor across the table.

"I can always handle a challenge," Hermione told him.

"You may find that sitting around and having nothing to do is preferable to expending a great amount of mental energy creating elaborate formulas for this potion," Severus told her.

Hermione gave him a look. "Yes, there is an unimaginably small off chance that will be true. But even if that were so I wouldn't abandon the task at hand. Once I start on something, I always see it through to the end."

Severus rose and carried his plate to the sink. Hermione thought she heard him mutter something along the lines of "cheeky Gryffindor" as he moved away. Though the words were said under his breath, Hermione could tell that they had been meant for her to hear, or rather that Severus had said them loudly enough to so that Hermione would hear them if she listened, but wonder if what she thought he'd said was actually what had come out of his mouth.

Hermione picked up her plate and headed over to the back of the room. She caught Severus's gaze and could tell by the gleam in his eyes that she had heard his words correctly.

"So, Snape, what exactly is a 'cheeky Gryffindor'?" she asked with feigned innocence.

He looked at her for a couple of seconds before giving an answer.

"There's a good sized mirror on that wall over there," he told her, indicating the object he spoke of with his gaze, "Take a look in it and I'm sure your question will be satisfactorily answered."

"I'll be sure to do that," replied Hermione with good natured sarcasm. Hermione looked into Severus's eyes with a self assured half smile, waiting for him to respond. Severus turned his back to her and Hermione's expression became fell back into an emotionless mask.

_He's distancing himself from me,_ she thought soberly.

Severus walked away from her and disappeared into one of the other rooms. He came back about thirty seconds later carrying a thick plastic binder, the kind sold at Muggle office supply stores.

Curious, Hermione started to approach him. Anticipating her question, Severus spoke before Hermione could ask him anything.

"This contains all of my personal notes on specific potion ingredients," He told her, setting the blue binder down on the dining table. He flipped it open and allowed Hermione to look at the pages within.

There were literally hundreds of pages, each one described the properties of a certain ingredient that was listed in capitalized script at the top of the page. Severus's notes also touched on the results of combing each ingredient with several others.

"This is quite extensive," Hermione remarked. Severus's thoroughness and careful attention to detail was amazing. "How long did it take you to come up with this?"

"The better part of a year," Severus replied curtly. "And I haven't even come remotely close to exhausting all the possible combinations of ingredients in my preliminary research for the potion. There's a chance that the proper sequence of ingredients is one I haven't even begun to consider yet. Quite truthfully, Miss Granger, this endeavor of mine has a great probability of being a failure. But because of the circumstances, I must at least put forth an effort to make it successful."

Severus pulled two chairs around to the long side of the table.

"Have a seat, we're going to be here for quite some time," he told her before going back into his bedroom.

Hermione sat down and started leafing through the pages of the binder. Hermione passed by many ingredients she knew, followed by many she had never heard of, or had never known that they were used in potions. She stopped to read one of the entries.

**Griffon Feathers**

_**Used to combine and magnify the effects of two non-related ingredients, if added to a potion comprised of similar ingredients the feather's quick will denature their base particles so that the simplest forms of the ingredients' can be concentrated in other potions. **_

_**When combined with powdered unicorn horn, the result on the potion is that the potion's shelf life is extended so that it's strength never expires, even after decades of storage.**_

_**Never combine Griffon feathers with the feathers of a pegasus, as the magic of the pegasus feathers will destroy the power of the Griffon feathers.**_

Hermione read on, fascinated, about the results of Griffon feathers combined with European dragon claws, Japanese dragon scales, Malaysian bat wings, winged lion feathers, hippocampus scales, undine fins, Indian and Amazonian serpent fangs, and black tiger fur.

When finished with the page, Hermione flipped through the pages again, and then stopped to read another entry that caught her eye.

**Tears from a True Elf**

_**One of the rarest potion ingredients on Earth, the tears of a true elf will give a desired power to any liquid, but only if that desired power is one born from a desire to combat evil. Cannot be obtained in any magical market known to man. The last time it was used by a wizard was in 1816. Many people have tried journeying to one of the eight known Elven cities hidden on Earth, but almost all of them were turned back at their gates. The humans who were granted admittance into the cities were almost never granted the possession of an item containing Elven magic.**_

Severus came up behind Hermione as she finished reading the entry bearing two black notebooks and a couple of ballpoint pens. He set the items on the table and Hermione turned to look at him.

"What is a true elf?" Hermione asked, a curious expression in her dark eyes.

Severus's lips twitched into a wry expression of amusement. He sat down in the chair beside her.

"A true elf is a magical being that is far more advanced in intelligence and intellect than most humans. It is said that the elves came to Earth from another world, aeons ago, and have hidden their cities in the depths of this planet's untouched lands, the Andean Mountains, the Amazonian rainforest, the jungles of Africa, the Himalayas, . . . the vast majority of their race has great disdain for us. They blame us for destroying Earth's most intricate ecosystems. Not to mention that if they knew that we called those ugly sycophantic creatures who do our housekeeping chores, _elves_, they would damn us to hottest depths of hell."

Hermione looked at Severus, absorbing this new information in thoughtful silence.

"So, are the creatures we call "elves" really a kind of elf or are they really something else?" she asked at length.

"Oh, those things surely aren't elves. There are rumors, known to those who know where to find them, that many centuries ago, after a dispute between humans and elves, the humans decided to sever all contact with the Elven race and to prevent people from ever finding out about the true elves' existence, they decided to call the little creatures who had started working in their houses elves. House elves are actually a type of gremlin."

"How many people now know that true elves exist?" asked Hermione.

"Not many. The entire Order of the Phoenix knows, many scholars know. But the general population has no idea," Severus told her. "And before you ask your next question, Dumbledore tried to ask the elves for help against Voldemort, but they flatly refused."

Hermione went through more of the pages.

"Is creating a potion the easiest way of weakening Voldemort's magical strength?" she asked seriously.

Severus did not immediately answer.

"It is not the easiest way, but given the circumstances, it is impossible to employ any other method of making Voldemort incapable of using magic."

"If the circumstances were different, what other methods could you use?" asked Hermione.

"Well, for one, before releasing certain criminals, Azkaban gives inmates an injection that denatures the proteins in the inmate's blood that enable them to wield magic. In creating the injection a sample of blood is taken from the inmate and treated with spells and then injected back into the inmate's aortal vein. As you can imagine, there's more than a few reasons why that can't be used on Voldemort, one of the main ones is that after the injection is given it takes about twenty four hours to do its job. Also, there is no way a blood sample can be taken from Voldemort without his knowing about it.

"Another method that could work under different conditions is that if the phoenix whose feather rests inside Voldemort's wand was found and then shot in the heart with a diamond tipped arrow or crossbow quarrel, Voldemort's wand would become completely useless, and some sources say that every spell ever cast by his wand would be reversed. Now the reasons _that_ method can't be used are that Potter's wand contains a feather from the same phoenix and he wouldn't be able to use magic to kill Voldemort if that particular phoenix died. He wouldn't be able to get a new wand, because for a reason few understand, if that phoenix were to die, the person who owned a wand connected to it would be turned into a squib. And even if that weren't the case, no one has any idea where the phoenix is right now."

"An innocent magical creature shouldn't have to die so that we can get what we want," Hermione said seriously.

"No, but let me say this. If killing the phoenix appeared to be the only way to defeat Voldemort, and it was between shooting the creature and allowing Voldemort to gain enough power to defeat The Order and everyone supporting it, I'd kill the creature myself in a heartbeat."

"If you put it _that _way, then of course, the phoenix's death would be a necessary thing, but in anything less than those circumstances it would be unacceptable to end the phoenix's life."

"That I won't argue with," Severus told her. He reached for a notebook and opened it to a page Hermione first thought was full of arithmetic problems, but upon closer inspection she noticed that the numbers didn't add up right to be mathematical equations.

"These are formula equations," said Severus. "You'll see that each page in that binder is numbered at the bottom, the numbers in the formula equations correspond to the numbers on the pages. At the back of the binder is a numbered key of all possible potion results, essentially describing what exactly the final potion does. The number after the equals sign in the formula corresponds to a number representing one of the results on the key."

"Okay, that's easy enough to understand." Hermione told him.

"These formulas here are ones I've already used in the lab to produce potions. Now I want to create a list of new formulas to try, ones where every ingredient used will add to the effects of the potion and create something that will reduce a person's magical strength. In the end, I may have to combine two separate potions together. So far, I've only gotten to the point where a few possible additive potions have been created."

Hermione opened her mouth to speak but Severus quickly moved on with his explanation.

"What's an additive potion you're going to ask? An additive potion is something that does not achieve the desired effect on its own, but can be added to another potion to create the end result that you want."

Hermione listened intently, confident that she could understand all the details of what Severus was telling her. Being a person who loved to learn and take on challenges, this was exactly what she needed. She knew without a doubt that Harry and Ron would be hopelessly lost by this point.

"I presume that none of this is going over your head, now is it?" Severus asked with a slight raise of his right brow.

"None of it. I find what you've said so far quite easy to understand."

"Excellent. Now I want to you to write down formulas for potions that have the effect of weakening someone's strength, or weakening their mental power. Just look through the binder and right down the numbers of ingredients and then as you look for ingredients to combine them with, be sure to read the list of results at the bottom of the pages. Basically, what I want you to do, Miss Granger, is create a new formula for a strength weakening potion."

Severus turned to a clean page in his notebook and quickly wrote out a list of ingredients. He then set the paper next to Hermione.

"Here is the list of ingredients for a basic muscle weakening potion, now you may want to find similar ingredients that will work on the mind as well as the body, and add those to your formula equation."

"Should I be worried about the availability of certain ingredients listed in here? Are there other things besides elf tears that are impossible to obtain?"

"I don't believe so, and in any case, I would have marked any hard to get ingredient as rare."

Hermione picked up a pen and opened the notebook Severus had given her.

"Did you make new potion formulas like this when you developed the potion for Remus?"

"No. I didn't have much time to come up with something that worked, so I took the wolfsbane potion and removed some of the ingredients that would interact with the new ingredients I put into it which prevents Remus from being enslaved by Fenrir's magic."

"I see. How often do you deliver the regular wolfsbane to him?" she asked. "I know he needs to get it everyday and since you told me your not going anywhere for awhile I wondered how you were getting it to him. I didn't think it could be kept that long without losing its effects."

Severus looked directly into Hermione's eyes. The look on his face was unsettling. She thought about what he had told her again, and suddenly an expression of shock came to her features.

"You said some ingredients would interact with the ones you put into your modified version of the wolfsbane. Please tell me that doesn't mean he had to stop taking the regular version to keep those ingredients out of his system. Tell me that's not the case."

"It's the price Remus had to pay for being free of Fenrir's control," Severus said softly.

Hermione looked agonized.

"Wasn't there any other way?" she asked, stricken, her voice unnaturally high.

"No, Miss Granger, there wasn't."

Hermione closed her eyes and took a steadying breath. When she opened her eyes, again Severus was starting to work out potion formulas in his notebook.

It was obvious that he didn't want to talk anymore. Hermione looked down at the blank notebook in front of her. She pulled the binder a little closer to her and started looking for ingredients that had weakening properties. Since Severus wasn't using the binder at the moment, Hermione guessed that he had a fair amount of potion ingredient information committed permanently to his memory. Hermione passed by several pages of ingredients that contained nothing useful to her.

Apparently Severus had been right when he had said this was going to take awhile.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Remus sat at his desk, almost finished translating the last part of text describing how to indirectly destroy a Horcrux. For the past hour, he had been reading the ancient text, and writing sentences in English on a piece of paper as he went. At last he had the information that Minerva wanted. He looked down at the English he had written.

During the two hours or so, he had discovered that the way to destroy a Horcrux indirectly was to create a destructive potion using an object that at one time had been a Horcrux as one of the principal ingredients.

_Another potion for Severus,_ Remus thought. _A third potion to work on is probably the last thing that man wants. Though Hermione has proven to be quite adept at the art of potion making, perhaps he'll enlist her help, if he knows what's good for him._

Remus reached up and turned off the lamp he had used to light his work area. Getting an object that was once a Horcrux would be easy enough. Dumbledore still had Slytherin's ring in his possession at the time of his death and Remus was sure it was still where he had left it in his office.

Minerva would be able to get it and then he could give it to Severus, along with the instructions on how to create the potion which he had also translated.

Remus let out a light snort.

_Severus can read Latin. I could have easily let him translate the text for himself._

In truth, Remus was getting tired of being the Order's official translator of ancient languages. Over the years the Order had given him scripts written in Latin, Greek, and even the ancient language of the Etruscans. Though Dumbledore knew more languages than Remus did, and Severus was as fluent in ancient languages as Remus was, the task of translating had always been given to him.

Ordinarily he didn't mind it, though there were definitely times when he would have liked to have help. But this morning he had woken to find Nymphadora sick, and now he wanted to be with her so that he could comfort her and do what he could to ease her nausea. She had missed work for the first time in three years.

Usually Nymphadora never let a little illness get in the way of her doing her job, but this morning, after retching into the toilet for the better part of half an hour, she had no choice but to stay in bed.

Remus had stayed with her until she fell asleep again, and he would have stayed with her even while she slept but she had insisted that at least one of them should get some work done, and if she couldn't be the one to do it, than he should go to his desk and get some translating done.

So Remus had busied himself with finding out how a Horcrux was indirectly destroyed. According to the text, the potion made from the former Horcrux was carefully poured on any intact Horcrux. It was then destroyed by the potion, like flesh and bone being destroyed by corrosive acid.

Remus was now ready to present his findings to Minerva, but before he reported to her office at Hogwarts, he would check on Nymphadora and see if she was doing any better.

He walked into his bedroom without making any noise. On the large mahogany bed, nestled beneath the creamy beige comforter was the sleeping form of Nymphadora Tonks. Remus watched her, unsure if he should wake her. He could leave and see Minerva and return as quickly as possible. But he wanted to know how Nymphadora felt before he left, because if she was still ill he could have Poppy Pomfrey return with him from Hogwarts and take a look at her. The mediwitch had a cottage in Hogsmeade that wouldn't be hard to get to. Remus would hate for Nymphadora to get any worse. Poppy would be able to give her an anti-nausea potion, if she still required one.

He approached Nymphadora, and she opened her eyes as Remus stood before her. She blinked a couple of times and slowly rolled onto her back.

"How are you?" Remus asked softly.

"I feel like I have the world's worst hangover," she told in a faint voice.

Remus's eyes crinkled with concern and he sat on the edge of the bed next to her. He felt her forehead with the back of his hand.

"You don't appear to have a fever," he said.

"I'm surprised," she told him. "All the times I've ever come close to feeling this shitty I always had a fever,"

"It's a good thing you don't have one," he told her with a small smile. "Do you feel any better than you did a couple of hours ago?"

"Not really. I don't think I'd be able to stand up straight without falling over if in doing so I'd get a million galleons,"

"Would you like some tonic water to sip?" he asked gently. "Or maybe I could bring you some crackers?"

"That's sweet of you, Remus, but I can't even stomach the _thought_ of drinking or eating now."

"I need to go talk to Minerva, but I also think I should go see Poppy and have her come by to look at you,"

"Okay. Normally I'd say no, but I don't want to feel like this any longer than I have to. Did you find out what's needed to indirectly destroy a Horcrux?"

"I did, a potion needs to be made from an object that was at one point a Horcrux. Slytherin's ring is in Dumbledore's office. That along with the instructions for making the potion will be given to Severus."

"How long do you think you'll be gone?" Nymphadora asked him.

"I hope to be gone for less than an hour," Remus told her. "Hopefully I'll have Poppy Pomfrey with me when I return. Are you sure you're okay with me leaving for a little while? I could just send Poppy a message through the Floo and she'd be along within a few minutes. The information for Minerva can wait a little bit if you want me stay."

"I'll be okay without you for awhile," Nymphadora told him.

Remus leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.

"I love you," he said softly. Nymphadora gave him a small smile.

"And I love you. Nothing can ever change that,"

Remus stared into her eyes for a couple seconds before rising. Nymphadora settled back into the covers and closed her eyes. Remus then turned and left the room. He gathered up the papers with this translations and slipped them into a large envelope. He set the envelope down for a second while he grabbed his traveling cloak from the chair in the parlor and put it on. He then took the envelope in his hand and instantly Apparated to the gates of Hogwarts.

The gates opened before him, the magic upon them identifying him as a member of the Order of the Phoenix. He walked through them and the shut with an iron clang behind him.

Remus then began to make his way up the hill to the entrance of the school. He hoped that Minerva would understand his need to be brief. He considered the idea of going straight to Poppy now and sending her to see to Nymphadora before he was done with talking to Minerva. It pained him considerably to see her suffering, being unable to help ease her discomfort.

But certainly Minerva wouldn't keep him long once he told her that Nymphadora was ill. Remus wanted to be with the woman he loved when the mediwitch came to see her.

He only hoped that Poppy Pomfrey would be easily found.

Remus approached the castle's front steps, his thoughts focused on the woman he had left lying in his bed. Though he told himself her illness was sure to be something minor, and easily fixed, he couldn't help but wonder what could possibly make her so violently sick?

_She'll be fine,_ he told himself as he entered into the castle's Great Hall. _Don't worry, she'll be fine._

**A/N: **That's the longest chapter so far! Just about 4000 words. To all of my silent readers: might you guys who are reading this but never comment leave me a message after this chapter? If you don't, I'll still value you as a reader, and I still can see that you're reading the story in the Stats section of the login page.

My heartfelt thanks goes out to everyone who wished that the surgery I got last week went well. I'm happy to say that the doctors found the source of my pain and were able to get rid of it. I've had pain off and on for three years, it's so wonderful to finally be free of it. :-)

I'm not taking classes this quarter so from now until March 27, I'll be able to update very frequently with long chapters.


	16. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: **I don't take credit for anything associated with Harry Potter. No financial profit is being made.

**Unlikely Partners**

**Chapter 15**

Remus walked across the empty Great Hall, the crisp sound of his footsteps piercing the silence of the

large room. He continued through the deserted castle at a brisk pace, stopping once he reached the large stone gargoyle that stood guard over what used to be Dumbledore's office.

Remus withdrew his wand from his cloak pocket and drew a circle in the air in front of the gargoyle's eyes. Upon completion of the circle, the air around its circumference glowed with a creamy white light. Since Dumbledore's death, the wards around his office had been replaced with new spells. Now, the gargoyle statue could identify the presence of any Order of the Phoenix member by watching the person perform a simple display of magic that would reveal the purity of their soul. If the circle they drew for the gargoyle was anything but black, the stone creature judged them to be a member of the Order, moved aside, and gave them access to the staircase that led to what was now Minerva McGonagall's private office. The gargoyle was expertly charmed to pounce at any person who couldn't create a white or nearly white magical circle and alert McGonagall at once. Not that anyone expected any Death Eater or servant of Voldemort to get past Hogwarts' gates. But even so, everyone agreed that extra protection was a necessary precaution.

The gargoyle moved away, allowing Remus to jog up the staircase. He knocked smartly on the mahogany office door as soon as he got to it.

"Minerva, it's Remus," he called out.

The door opened immediately after the words left his lips and Remus crossed the threshold to stand in the office. Minerva sat behind Dumbledore's desk, her spectacles resting low on the bridge of her nose, as she read through a stack of parchment. She looked up as Remus came forward and produced the envelope containing his translation.

"I came to let you know I finished translating the information about how to indirectly destroy a Horcrux," he told her as he laid the envelope on the desk. "If you wish to discuss things further, I'd like your inquiry to be as brief as possible . Nymphadora didn't go into work today because was quite ill this morning. She feels extremely light-headed and I told her that after I dropped this off here, I'd fetch Poppy and see if she can give her some sort of anti-nausea potion,"

Minerva opened the envelope and started reading through the translation as he talked. When he was finished speaking she said, "I'm afraid Poppy isn't able to see Nymphadora at the moment. She went to Glasgow last night to help deliver her sister's baby. She'll probably be back sometime tomorrow."

"Oh. In that case, . . . do you know if there are some of her medicines stored in the castle?"

"Whatever is left over from the school year is located in her office." Minerva told him. "Why don't you go down to the infirmary and take what you want while I take some time to go through your report? I promise I won't keep you more than a few minutes when you return."

Remus nodded silently. Minerva returned to reading the papers he had delivered to her and Remus left the room.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Nymphadora stood in the small bathroom adjacent to Remus's bedroom, staring at her reflection in the mirror above the sink. Her skin had the peaked look of a person who was well on the road to severe dehydration.

_What's wrong with me?_ she asked herself. She almost _wished_ that she _did_ have a fever. At least then, she'd be able to say that she'd somehow caught a stomach virus while she'd been out and about in Muggle London. Being a metamorph made her immune to almost all magical illnesses, so at least she wouldn't have to take a trip to St. Mungo's.

Nymphadora exhaled slowly and grabbed the clean hand towel hanging next to the sink. She turned on the cold water spigot and ran the towel under the water. She then raised the towel to her face and dabbed at her cheeks and forehead. It didn't make her feel any better.

The one thing that bothered Nymphadora the most was that not even when she had the flu a few years ago did she feel so utterly drained like she felt right now. It was strange, and more than a little disconcerting. And what added to her discomfort was the fact that she had no explanation for the symptoms she was having. Muggle illnesses could not weaken the strength of her magical power. Even if she had the most acute gastroenteritis imaginable, it should in no way affect her ability to perform magic. Yeah, she'd feel like shit while performing a spell, but at least she would still be fully capable of performing that spell successfully.

But right now, she felt that not only was she without any physical strength, she was also for the first time in her life without magical strength.

Nymphadora turned off the water and set the towel on the sink. If she didn't have any Muggle illness, she had to have somehow come down with a rare magical one, one able to weaken her magical power almost to the point of being non-existent.

Though as soon as that conclusion came to her mind she saw that it didn't make any sense.

_I'd have a high fever if I had any kind of serious magical illness!_

Nymphadora ran a hand through her hair. _I guess I should give up on trying to diagnose myself and return to the comfort of Remus's bed. My mind's not working clearly enough right now to try to analyse– _Suddenly Nymphadora tensed and her gray eyes widened. Soon after she had focused her thoughts on Remus's bed, another very shocking and very sobering thought formed in her mind.

"I could be pregnant," she said softly.

Her stomach jolted, not as a physical symptom of her illness, but from the gravity of that single statement.

_But we took measures to prevent that . . ._

_Perhaps I'm jumping to the wrong conclusion. Morning sickness wouldn't last this long, would it? And certainly even witches who experience morning sickness don't have their magic totally depleted because of it!_

_But might it be different if the woman is carrying the child of a werewolf._

Nymphadora returned to the bedroom and laid down on the bed again, her mind in overdrive as she considered her thoughts.

_Remus has been without the normal form of wolfsbane for more than two months, could the differences in Severus's alteration account for Remus's ability to sire a child when we always made sure we guarded against conceiving?_

Nymphadora took a deep breath.

_I won't say anything to Remus until I know for sure. All I can do now is wait to talk to Poppy Pomfrey._

_- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -_

In less than fifteen minutes, Remus returned to Minerva, carrying in his right hand a rectangular blue bottle that contained an anti-nausea potion.

Minerva was reading through the potion instructions as Remus walked into the room.

"Find what you needed?" she inquired.

"I took one of Poppy's instant cures for nausea. Hopefully it will help Nymphadora get back to normal. Could I ask a favor of you?"

"Of course,"

"Even if Nymphadora feels instantly fine after getting some of this into her system, I think I'd like Poppy to check her out when she returns to make sure that whatever was bothering Nymphadora doesn't return. Do you think you can tell her what's going on and have her come by my flat as soon as she is able?"

"I'll be happy to do that for you, though I can't promise that Poppy will be able to see Nymphadora tomorrow. It may be the day after."

"That's understandable."

"Good. Now before we discuss what was written in the text you translated, I want to ask you to do something for me,"

"What is this about?"

Minerva's face became somber.

"Harry," she told him softly. "Now I know this is a lot to ask of you, but I've been thinking, and I believe it would be best if you were the one he talks to after receiving Severus's letter–

Remus visibly stiffened.

"Why must it be me, Minerva?"

"He'll . . . He'll listen to you, Remus. He looks up to you and respects you, more than anyone else in the Order. You can prevent him from acting irrationally. Perhaps you can talk to him at the wedding on Friday. Tell him that if he needs an adult to talk to, you'll be there for him and that he can come to you with anything. You must remember that he thinks you believe that Severus is a traitor and a murderer. Once he finds out what's happened to Hermione, he'll want to alert everyone in the Order. _Someone's_ going to have to convince him that a rescue mission isn't a feasible option. We cannot afford to have Harry ignore what The Order tells him. If you talk to him you'll be able to get him to refrain from going out to hunt Severus down. We cannot allow Harry to go out and find Severus while he works at the underground potion lab in London."

"Alright, Minerva. You've made your point."

"You'll accept the responsibility of keeping Harry under control?" Minerva asked.

"I have to, don't I?"

"Remus . . ."

"I'll do what you want. We don't have to discuss this topic any further."

"You know, if Harry truly understands the reasons for why we kept the truth from him, he'll forgive all of us for lying to him."

"Will he?" Remus asked acerbically.

Minerva fell silent, but kept her steady gaze on Remus's face.

"It may take him some time, but when he realises that we had no other choice, he will forgive us,"

"Did you have any questions about the translation I gave you?" Remus asked, changing the subject.

"It seems that only a few drops of this potion will completely destroy an intact Horcrux, so my understanding is that Severus will only have to brew the potion once."

"Actually, the text stated that a single batch of potion will be enough to destroy four Horcruxes," Remus told her. "I'm sorry, I guess I must have accidentally skipped a line while I was writing the English version."Minerva took a quill from an onyx stand on the desk, dipped it in ink and wrote down what Remus

had said on the parchment.

"Since these potion instructions and Slytherin's ring must be given to Severus in person, and you see him often, will you deliver them to him?"

"Yes, I'll deliver them. Where is the ring?"

"Albus moved it to a box hidden beneath Fawkes' perch. If you reach underneath it, you'll be able to feel it. You should be able to slide it out."

Remus went over to the phoenix's perch and sure enough, he found a shoe box sized wooden box resting on brackets mounted to the bottom of the perch's circular mid-section.

"You'll have to unlock it with a spell," Minerva told him.

Remus set the box on a nearby table and pointed his wand at the front of the box and muttered a spell. He raised an eyebrow and stared at the box, puzzled.

"What?" Minerva asked him.

"It's not locked," he told her.

"Open it."

Remus did as Minerva said. He was silent for a few seconds before he returned his gaze to Minerva.

"Slytherin's ring isn't here," he stated flatly.

"Nonsense! Let me see," Minerva snapped.

Remus handed her the rectangular rosewood box.

"But I _saw_ him put it here!" Minerva exclaimed.

"Well, it clearly isn't there now," Remus told her.

"I don't understand how it could be gone," Minerva said in a shocked tone.

"Given the fact that the box was unlocked when you expected it to be locked, I'd say that someone removed it from the box."

"But with all the wards that we put up in this castle after Albus's death, it would be impossible for anyone serving Voldemort to even gain access to this part of the castle. And after what we did to the gargoyle, there's no way they would be able to get into this office."

"Minerva, the ring hasn't spontaneously vanished into another dimension of its own accord. And though what you say makes sense, all I can tell you is that perhaps the ring was taken from the box before The Order redid the castle's protective spells."

"Who could have taken it?"

"On the night of Albus's death would it have been possible for one of the Death Eaters to get into this office, if they knew the password?"

"I . . . If one of them knew the password, I suppose that could have happened. Severus said that Voldemort has created two new Horcruxes to replace the ones he's lost. Do you think he wanted Slytherin's ring back so that he could make it a Horcrux again?"

"Right now, that's the only explanation that sounds plausible. The only thing is, don't you think Severus would have told us if Voldemort reclaimed Slytherin's ring?"

"We must question Severus about this right away," Minerva told him.

"I'm going to see him the day after tomorrow, he'll be giving me Hermione's letter to the Weasley family telling them she's too sick to attend the wedding. I can ask him about the ring then. I'll then come straight to you and let you know what he says."

Minerva didn't immediately respond. Remus could tell by the look on the old witch's face that she didn't think that was quite good enough, but knew that it was next to impossible to quickly get in contact with Severus while he was in Voldemort's domain.

"I'd like to talk to him myself, but I know Severus has precious little time to spend away from Voldemort's watchful eyes. I'll expect you to report to me as soon as you're finished speaking with him."

"Fine," Remus told her. "You can trust that I won't keep you waiting."

"Thank you, I'm sure you understand how serious this problem is," Minerva told him gravely. "I'll let you go now, it's not fair to Nymphadora to keep her waiting when she's ill and needs someone to take care of her,"

"I shall see you the day after tomorrow then," Remus told her. Minerva gave him a slight nod, before returning to her stack of parchment.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Nymphadora sighed softly and turned her pillow over to the cooler side. She wasn't tired anymore, but she still felt incredibly weak. She fixed her gaze on the pale blue wall across from the other side of the bed and wondered when Remus would be home.

She was nervous. She tried to think about other things besides the possibility of being pregnant, but it was impossible to keep her mind entirely off that subject.

What if Remus noticed her apprehensiveness? What would she tell him?

_Relax,_ she told herself. _Worrying won't do any good._

She took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She closed her eyes and then counted slowly to one hundred. It was the only thing she could do to help ease her anxiety. When she heard the sound of Remus's footsteps coming towards the door she expected to hear the sound of Poppy Pomfrey's voice follow not far behind. A few seconds passed in silence and Nymphadora knew that Remus had returned without bringing Hogwart's medi-witch extraordinaire.

"Are you sleeping, Fahdee?" Remus asked softly. "Poppy wasn't able to come."

Nymphadora opened her eyes and met his gaze.

"Why?" she asked.

"Apparently she's in Glasgow until tomorrow."

"How did your meeting with Minerva go?" Nymphadora asked, wanting to participate in conversation so she could keep her mind off certain thoughts.

"Not terribly well. Salazar's ring is missing."

"It's missing? Missing as in someone stole it?"

"That would be my guess. Minerva's considerably upset."

"Well, of course. She doesn't want to have to rely on Severus's as-of-yet-undeveloped power weakening potion as the only means of making Voldemort mortal."

"That's true, but if Voldemort somehow got the ring back and made it into an intact Horcrux once again, there's not much any of us can do about it," he told her seriously. "If that proves to be the case, perhaps we can track down an artifact that was at one time a Horcrux of another dark wizard and use that in making the destructive potion. Under normal circumstances I'd start researching locations of other Horcruxes right now, but I'm more concerned about your health. How are you?"

"I feel extremely weak. I'm not so tired anymore, but it's as if all my physical and magical strength has been drained away,"

"I brought you an anti-nausea potion from Hogwarts' medicine stores. Do you think you want some now?"

Nymphadora did not quickly answer.

_If there's even a small chance I'm pregnant, I shouldn't take any potions without knowing for sure that they are safe for the unborn child._

"The queasiness in my stomach has quieted down, and I'd rather not take a potion right now if my symptoms have abated,"

"Should you get sick again, it'll be here." he told her.

Nymphadora gave him a small smile.

"Can I do anything for you?" Remus asked her sincerely.

Nymphadora patted Remus's side of the mattress.

"Will you come lie next to me for awhile?"

"Of course,"

Remus got into the bed and Nymphadora nestled against him. She pillowed her head on his chest so that she could listen to his heartbeat. Remus put his arm around her and placed a lingering kiss on the top of her head.

"I wish I could stay in your arms forever," she said softly.

"Forever's a long time, my dear. I'm afraid you'll have to content yourself instead with resting against me for the next several hours."

Nymphadora smiled. "I think I can content myself with that," she told him with humor in her voice.

Nymphadora focused her mind on the rhythm of Remus's heart. She allowed herself to relax fully and gradually drifted off to sleep again in her lover's arms.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

After four hours of work, with only a green apple and glass of water for lunch, Hermione was unable to concentrate anymore. She stared at the notebook in front of her and reread the sixteen formula equations she had

written. She was just beginning to get a headache behind her eyes from reading pages upon pages of Severus's handwritten notes.

Hermione dropped her pen on the table and worked the muscles in her hand and wrist to ease the muscles that had started to cramp from holding the same position for so long.

Severus paid no attention to her.

_Is he purposefully ignoring me, or is he not even thinking about me at all?_

Hermione stared in his direction for a few seconds, watching as he wrote down a complex sequence of numbers combining more than one formula for an additive potion. She thought he might glance up from his work when he completed the line of numbers, but instead he turned the page and began writing a new equation.

_He must know I'm watching him! And that means he is ignoring me intentionally!_

Hermione continued to stare, knowing that Severus had to feel her gaze on him. Still, he behaved as if he were the only one in the room. Hermione considered saying something to get his attention. But of course, that's what he would be expecting and waiting for. Either that, or for her to look away and ignore him.

But what if she did something unexpected? What would he do then?

She told herself that she couldn't let him control her. Whether it was her Gryffindor determination coming to the surface, her bold spirit getting the better of her, or something else, Hermione didn't know for certain. But as the seconds stretched on and Severus showed no signs of acknowledging her presence, Hermione decided that _something_ had to be done.

_If you think you can make me do what you want by pretending that I've ceased to exist, than I'm afraid you're in for quite a surprise, Severus Snape._

Smirking inwardly, Hermione rose from her seat and moved away from the table. She started walking towards Severus's bedroom door -she _did_ need to use the lavatory in the chamber adjacent to his bedroom-, but she measured her steps so that instead of making a bee line straight to the door she moved close to the back of Severus's chair. He was still bent over his notebook, writing out yet another formula, when Hermione oh-so-casually reached out and trailed her hand lightly-but not too lightly-across his shoulder blades as she walked past.

She felt him tense beneath her fingers before she moved her hand away and continued on her walk across the room as if nothing at all was out of the ordinary. As she moved away, Hermione smiled with satisfaction. She _knew_ Severus had suddenly stopped writing his formula.

_Too bad I'm not a Legillimens. I'd love to know exactly what he's thinking right now!_

And with that thought, Hermione left the room, leaving Severus to deal with his discomfort and surprise alone.

**A/N: **Yes, this is a wee bit of a cliffy isn't it? But all things considered, this _is_ a good stopping place. Don't worry, I'll update again within the next five days. So, what's Severus going to say when Hermione comes back into the room? Who has Slytherin's ring? And what will Poppy tell Nymphadora when she gets to see her? Leave a review, your comments are most welcome and appreciated!


	17. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: **I don't take any credit for anything associated with Harry Potter. No financial profit is being made.

**Unlikely Partners**

**Chapter 16**

Hermione was walking through the bedroom to return to the dining area when Severus entered the room.

His eyes held no trace of emotion as they focused on her face. He stopped to stand in front of her. Though he was more than an arm's length away from her, Hermione had an urge to back away from him.

The intensity of his gaze on her nearly made her flinch. She fought to suppress the response and held his gaze with brazen determination. She would not give him the satisfaction of seeing that he had some kind of hold on her.

Severus moved one step closer to her, his action deliberately measured and effortlessly executed. Now he was inside her circle of personal space. Hermione set her jaw and forced herself to remain where she was.

_And here I thought I'd won. I guess I won't make that mistake again. Why isn't he saying anything? Is he trying to intimidate me with that look on his face? Does he think I'll run from the room and then let him go back to ignoring me? Too bad if that's what he thinks. That's not going to happen._

"Surprised, Miss Granger?" Severus asked slowly.

"Do I look surprised, Snape?"

Severus waited a beat before speaking again.

"You're trying to hide it. If you tell me otherwise, you'll only prove to me that you're not as incredibly intelligent as your test scores would suggest."

Hermione swallowed, unable to decide how to respond.

_I don't like being backed into corners, Snape_, she thought. _It's obvious he wants me to admit to my surprise at his sudden appearance in this room. And it's equally obvious that there's no way I can evade giving him a straight answer to his question._

_Fine, Snape. I'll acquiesce_ _to your peremptory_ _request._

Hermione straightened her spine.

"Alright. I confess that I am surprised to see you walk into this room. Perhaps you'll tell me why you're here."

Though even as she said those words, Hermione felt a strange chill run down her spine. She was standing in a bedroom with her former potions professor. No, it wasn't just _a_ bedroom. It was _his_ bedroom.

_You didn't really think about the consequences of your actions just now, did you? _she asked herself. _Did you think he'd just continue to ignore you until you had to practically scream his name? You knew that little flirtation would have some kind of effect on him, Hermione! He's certainly not made of stone. But you never imagined he'd do this._

_And what, exactly, is this?_

_This is what happens when you act without fully thinking things through._

Severus regarded her unblinking eyes.

"But, _surely_, Miss Granger, you _must_ know why I'm here," he told her in a silken tone. "After all, when a woman knowingly instigates sexually arousing thoughts in a man, does she not expect him to respond appropriately?"

Hermione had braced herself for his response, but could do nothing to stop her breath from hitching in her throat at the stark clarity of his question.

_He's trying to shock me. He's bluffing, he only wants to scare me into leaving him alone._

_And he's boxed me into a corner again. I have no choice but to give him an answer._

But what was she going to say?

Gee, I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to make you feel that way, definitely wasn't going to work.

But staying mute about the subject wasn't going to help the situation either.

"I didn't intend to cause you to have any kind of sexual reaction," Hermione told him evenly. She wanted to blurt the sentence out as quickly as she could, but she made herself deliver the words without hurrying through them.

"No?" Severus asked with a hint of a satisfied smirk on his face. "You know, I might almost believe you. But the thing of it is, you could have easily gotten my attention by doing something that didn't involve any kind of physical contact."

"I wanted to do something you wouldn't expect," Hermione told him quickly.

"I would think that someone as clever as you can be would carefully consider all the possible consequences of such an action, and then only proceed with its execution after consciously accepting those consequences."

"I'll remember to think about the consequences of my actions from now on," Hermione said honestly.

"Make sure that you do. For all actions have consequences, Miss Granger. Some bad, others not necessarily good or bad, and still others that are decidedly good."

Hermione stood rooted to the spot, unable to look away from the dark depth's of Severus's eyes.

"Admit you didn't think about the consequences of getting my attention the way that you did," Severus told her, taking a small step closer to her.

"Any thoughts of consequences must have slipped my mind," Hermione told him truthfully.

Severus came closer to her he was less than a hand's width away from her now, and the heat of his body so close to hers effectively aroused her.

"Admit you need to be shown how serious the consequences of a single action can be," he murmured in her ear, his breath tickling her skin.

"Yes, I think you need to show me,"

Severus bent his head down and brought his lips to her mouth. His kiss was firm and commanding, yet strangely gentle. Hermione brought her hands up to his neck and slowly moved her lips against his. Severus's hands came to rest on Hermione's sides as the first kiss was broken. Hermione tilted her head back a little more and Severus pressed his lips to hers a second time in a hungry, open mouthed kiss.

This kiss was harder than the first. Severus tasted Hermione fully, running his tongue along the inside of her mouth. Hermione met his tongue with her own and Severus expertly teased it without mercy, laughing low in his throat when Hermione moaned audibly and tightened her grip on his neck.

Severus took his time ravishing her mouth with his tongue, paying careful attention to the spots that would pleasure her the most. When he finally pulled his tongue away he kissed her possessively, taking her bottom lip in his teeth before he briefly broke contact to take a breath.

Severus tightened his grip on Hermione and returned his lips to hers, kissing her deeply. Hermione slid her hands down from his neck to the front of his shirt and began undoing the buttons of the charcoal grey garment with an urgent need. In seconds she had his shirt open at the front. She ran her hands up and down his hot flesh as they continued to kiss with passionate fervor.

The muscles of his chest were hard and smooth. Hermione reached up and pushed his shirt off of his shoulders. Severus moved his hands back so that she could free him the article of clothing. Hermione got the shirt off of his body and dropped it on the floor. She then reached up and placed her hands on back around his neck her fingers tightening in the hair at the nape of his neck.

Severus moved away from her lips and placed his mouth along her neck. Hermione jerked against him at the contact. He kissed her flesh with lustful abandon, licking the skin above her collarbone with erotic interest.

Hermione leaned her head to the side in pure ecstacy, vaguely noticing how this was like the very first Occlumency induced image of them together.

Was the magical attraction of the Occlumency still controlling them? Or was this a passion of a different kind, originating on its own without the help of ancient magic?

Hermione couldn't think straight with what Severus was doing to her and she didn't want to think about anything except the man who pleasuring her.

Severus kissed the area where Hermione's quickened pulse beat beneath her skin. Severus then worked his way up to her left ear. He nipped her ear lightly before placing an ardent kiss on it, making Hermione involuntarily let out another exclamation of pleasure.

"Enjoying the lesson?" Severus whispered wickedly.

"That depends," Hermione told him. "Is it over?"

"Of course not, Miss Granger. It's only just beginning. I don't think you've learned how important it is to realise the possible consequences an action has before you proceed to carry it out. And that if you _ever_ forget to think about those consequences, you'll be forced to cope with them _unprepared_. You know, if you aren't aware of the consequences beforehand, they can be _quite hard_ to deal with," Severus told her in a low tone.

"Are the consequences I so utterly failed to consider of the kind that are _quite hard _to deal with?" Hermione asked a bit breathlessly.

Severus shifted her body against him.

"I believe you can answer that question yourself," he told her, staring into her dark gaze.

Hermione smiled alluringly. She then rubbed her hip against his arousal.

"I think I like consequences that are '_quite hard'_ to deal with," she said to him while holding his gaze. She trailed her right hand down his his chest and stomach, stopping when she reached the front of his black trousers. Hermione could feel that he was thick and hot beneath the confining material.

She cupped the front of his pants with her palm and he kissed her fiercely, letting out a groan as her hand moved over him. Hermione laughed into his mouth and moved her other hand down so that she could pull down the trousers' zipper. She had just gotten the top button undone when suddenly Severus and inexplicably pulled away.

Hermione stared at him, at a loss for what had caused him to stiffen as if he was in immense pain, until her eyes fell on the skin of his right forearm where the Dark Mark was burning black.

Severus stood with his head bowed as he took in deep breath to steady himself.

"Hand me my shirt," he told her hollowly. Hermione quickly picked up the shirt and straightened it out before giving it to Severus.

Severus was eerily quiet as he put his shirt on and closed his trousers. He gave Hermione a pained look.

"I'll be back as soon as I can."

"How long?" Hermione asked.

"I can't say. I doubt it will be longer than a couple of hours,"

"If you don't see me when you return, you'll probably find me in your bathroom."

Severus nodded grimly.

"I'm, . . . I'm sorry."

"Don't be. When he calls, you have to go. I understand," Hermione told him seriously.

Severus turned away and left the room. As Hermione heard the door that opened into the hallway shut, she immediately felt a wave of oppressive air envelope the room, just as she had felt when she first set foot inside the mansion.

With Severus gone, she would have to deal with the affects of Voldemort's presence alone.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Severus hurried to the parlor. Dozens of Voldemort's followers, the youngest present being nineteen, the oldest fifty-four were all moving to assemble in the large room. Undoubtedly many of them had Apparated from places miles away. All of them had placed serving Voldemort above everything else in their lives.

Severus moved through the crowd of Death Eaters to take his place at the right of Voldemort's onyx desk. Hanging from the ceiling, in the center of the room, was a multi-tiered crystal chandelier, lit by magic.

Severus turned to the wizard seated behind the desk and gave a reverent half bow.

It always amazed Severus that Voldemort, for all his power and reputation of being Britain's darkest wizard since the time of the Middle Ages, could not tell that he harbored a bone-deep unadulterated hatred for him. When Severus stood by Voldemort's side, the desire to destroy him was always present, though always carefully buried and hidden. But it was always there, and every day that Voldemort accepted Severus' facade, he wondered just how truly powerful the dark wizard was.

By now Voldemort's most loyal servants had formed a wide semi-circle around his desk and were waiting expectantly for him to speak. Voldemort rose silently and walked to stand in front of the assembled Death Eaters. Severus stayed beside the desk. As Voldemort's most favored, he was an echelon above the gathered Death Eaters. When Voldemort spoke to those who had yet to prove themselves he let Severus stand and watch, using him as an example of the great honor they could achieve by serving him well.

"I have called all of you here today for two reasons," Voldemort began. "There are two tasks I wish to accomplish and I need the help of my most loyal to do so."

Voldemort moved to one side of the semi-circle and began to slowly walk past the people whom he called his truest allies.

"You are all aware that two of our own, are shall I say, _missing_. Narcissa and Draco have seemed to have vanished without a trace. I want to know where they are." Voldemort announced, stressing the syllables of the last sentence with commanding authority.

"I want someone to find them," Voldemort told the crowd evenly. "And I want them both brought to me, willingly or unwillingly. Who among you will gladly take on this task?"

There was a chorus of "I will"s throughout the crowd. From his vantage point, Severus could see the faces of everyone present. His gaze came to rest on Bellatrix as the reply quickly traveled down the line. Her face was unreadable. But, Severus noticed, it didn't show its usual cold determination. In fact, for the first time since Severus had had the displeasure of meeting her acquaintance, Bellatrix's face did not have that perpetual "elegant sneer" he had grown so used to seeing on it.

Someone who was less observant than Severus would never have picked up on the difference. Fortunately, Severus was much more observant than most and easily spotted the anomaly.

Though what it meant, he couldn't say for sure. Perhaps Bellatrix _did _have some sort of loyalty to her sister and nephew. Perhaps she was having difficulty with resolving herself to put her loyalty to Voldemort before her loyalty to her family.

When it was Bellatrix's turn to reply, she did so loudly and with conviction.

But was the sound of her voice really a good indication of her intentions? And just why were the Malfoys keeping well away from Voldemort? Narcissa hadn't done anything wrong. And though Draco had failed at casting the killing curse on Dumbledore, had it not been for him, the Death Eaters never would have gotten inside the castle.

And if Severus's suspicions about the what Draco's task _really _was were correct, that Voldemort never meant for Draco to kill Dumbledore at all and that Narcissa making the Unbreakable Vow with him was just a set up to find out once and for all where his true loyalties lay, there really was no obvious reason for the Malfoys to suddenly disappear.

Where were they and why were they there? And what were they doing?

At last when everyone had given an affirmative response, Voldemort stepped back from the crowd.

"As soon as you leave, you will begin your search for Narcissa and Draco Malfoy. You will individually report to me with anything you learn about their whereabouts. You will tell me everything you find out, no matter how insignificant the details may seem."

There was a fervent reply of "yes, master" and Voldemort paused in his speech.

"Good. Now I shall move on to the other issue that needs addressing. You all know that I no longer have a spy within the Order of the Phoenix. Severus here has shown his true colours and has done what none of you ever could. But though the Great Albus Dumbledore is now rotting in the ground, and the Order is wounded with grief at the old fool's death, it is still a force of opposition against me. I had hoped that Severus might have been able to weaken it from within and destroy it entirely, but alas, things could not turn out to happen that way. The Order is still strong.

"I wish to utterly crush its strength to resist. I will allow the Order of the Phoenix to stand against me no longer! I want it fatally weakened before I am strong enough to fight Potter for the last time. You are all aware that it has one of Fenrir's werewolves within its ranks. Fenrir tells me that though he can effortlessly control the minds of every werewolf within the catacombs beneath where we stand, he cannot make the Order's werewolf submit to his will. I want to know why.

"You will form into groups and together you will perform advanced scrying spells to see and hear what The Order is doing. The spells which I speak of require unwavering concentration and effort. If you are unable to perform them successfully, you will suffer my displeasure. If I were strong enough, I'd perform these spells myself." Voldemort said as he looked out at the faces of the people.

Scrying, the act of magically conjuring an image of a person or a place onto a clear surface was not in and of itself part of the Dark Arts. If someone did it without any malevolent intentions, it was regarded as complex, but certainly not harmful magic.

But if scrying was done for dark purposes, a blood payment on part of the witch or wizard performing the spell was demanded by whatever force allowed the scryed image to exist. It was said that if a dark witch or wizard demanded to see enough images, they would be damned to spend eternity in hell as punishment for repeatedly using the art of scrying to facilitate an act of evil. For a dark wizard such as Voldemort, having his followers scry the Order and see what its members were doing, gave him an invaluable advantage.

The only good thing about the scrying of the Dark Arts was that it could only be performed after dark.

Still, there was enough that the Death Eaters could see then that could jeopardize the Orders' plans. Severus would have to warn Remus to not take his potion at night, when he might be watched, and to not discuss his name at night with anyone, unless of course it was mentioned in context of him being a Death Eater. Though most attempts at scrying did not produce any sound to go along with the image, there were a few Death Eaters that could easily read lips. The Order could take no chances.

By the looks on the faces of some of the Death Eaters, they were none too pleased that Voldemort had asked this of them, but were trying hard to hide it.

Undoubtedly some had figured that they would easily be able scry the Malfoys and would receive praise from their lord at having been able to quickly report to him about their precise location.

Severus listened to the rest of Voldemort's speech and when Voldemort finally decided to dismiss the group, he waited for everyone to leave the parlor before speaking to the dark wizard.

"Is there anything I can do for you, milord?" Severus forced himself to ask. Voldemort turned and regarded him with his unearthly crimson-brown eyes.

"As a matter of fact, there is, Severus. I want you to keep an eye on Bella for me. I need you to make sure she no longer has any loyalties toward her sister and nephew.".

"It will be done," said Severus, giving the evil creature before him an elegant nod.

"I know I can count on you to serve me well. If only all my Death Eaters were as true to me as you are."

"It's my greatest pleasure to serve you," Severus told him.

He waited for Voldemort to dismiss him, but instead the dark wizard asked about the condition of Hermione. Severus told him what he wanted to hear.

"It is only the second day and her spirit is still strong. But that won't last much longer,"

Voldemort twisted his lips into a perverse simulation of a smile.

"I'm glad to hear it," Voldemort said to him.

Severus was then dismissed and he left Voldemort at a careful pace. He could not allow any of his actions in front of Voldemort to arouse suspicion.

Only when he was down the hall, within sight of the staircase, did he allow himself to relax. He let his thoughts return to Hermione.

How long had the meeting lasted? Perhaps an hour?

However long it had lasted, Severus only hoped it wasn't long enough to cause her severe anguish.

**A/N:** I know this chapter had to evoke some kind of opinion in you. I really want to hear from all my readers so please don't be silent. If you want to write an intelligently written flame or semi-flame, you may do so and I will reply to you, telling you why I defend my decisions. If you didn't like the chapter, please let me know why you didn't like it. And if you liked it, what exactly did you like about it?


	18. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: **I don't take credit for anything associated with Harry Potter. No financial profit is being made.

**Unlikely Partners**

**Chapter 17**

Severus returned to find Hermione sitting on his bed, staring out in front of her as if she were in some kind of catatonic daze. Her eyes were focused like they would be if she was looking at something extremely far away.

She gave Severus no indication that she was aware of his presence. Severus came to stand beside her.

"Miss Granger?" he asked, willing her to respond.

She said nothing, but closed her eyes in an attempt to alleviate the obvious agony she was experiencing. When she opened her eyes again, they were bright with pain. Slowly, she turned to look at Severus. The expression on her face was one of abject misery.

"It was like I was drowning," she said softly. "Drowning in that _ghastly_ pervasive presence. I fought to stay calm, to keep it from torturing me, but then it only got worse. . . ." Hermione stopped, unable to continue.

An immediate flare of anger burned inside Severus at her words. And that anger stirred within him the desire to personally make sure that Voldemort payed for the suffering he caused Hermione.

"After awhile, it got to the point where I couldn't fight it anymore and then . . . I can't even describe how utterly horrible the feeling of despair and hopelessness that followed was."

Hermione stopped and looked away.

"You probably think I'm overreacting," she said in a small voice that was barely audible.

Then, acting on instinct, Severus did a very uncharacteristic thing. He sat down next to her on the mattress, reached out and took her hand in his. Hermione raised her gaze to his face.

"I know you're not overreacting, Hermione," he said very softly but clearly.

Hermione's reaction was almost instantaneous. Letting out a high pitched sob, she turned and laid her head against Severus's chest, her body shaking as she allowed herself to cry.

Severus drew his arms around Hermione's body and held her close as she released her anguished emotions.

Several minutes later, Hermione's sobs became less and less frequent until finally her eyes were out of tears. She relaxed in Severus's embrace.

"I got your shirt all wet," she mumbled. "I'm sorry."

"You know, contrary to popular belief, I'm not so completely unkind that I would expect you to apologise for something so trivial as dousing my shirt with a few tears."

Hermione didn't respond.

"How do you feel now?" Severus asked her.

"Physically I'm exhausted, but my mind won't stop replaying what I went through. I suppose I'm as all right as can be expected. I just can't stop thinking about what will happen if I'm ever subjected to the full force of his magical presence again," Hermione told him, seemingly unable to speak Voldemort's name. "I'm afraid of what will happen to me if I go through that agony again. It is affecting me worse now than when I first arrived. I know it might appear that I wasn't suffering physically as bad as I did before when you came in, but that was only because I gave up trying to fight it. And then the emotional torture of it increased about tenfold. There's no way I can put the exact feeling of it into words because any words I can think of that come close to describing it are too mild of terms to truly describe it.

"By far the worst part of it was being forced to experience the pain of feeling that tangible aura press down on me and constrict my spirit and my soul. I was powerless to stop it and that's what made it so terrifying. There's one thing I don't understand. When the Dementors came to Hogwarts, I was no more terribly affected by them than the next person and I certainly wasn't as affected by them as Harry was. Why wouldn't they make me feel something similar to what I just experienced?"

"Dementors are certainly evil in their own right, but they lack the sentience and complexity of spirit that makes Voldemort so much more vile. He is an abomination to Nature. His dark and twisted mind makes him a creature unlike anything ever intended to live on this Earth. It is utter fondness for everything perverse and sadistic that increases the magnitude of his dark power. You are most likely affected by his presence because having such a natural aptitude for wielding magic makes you much more attuned to the aura of everything in nature. When you come physically close to something so completely evil that delights in destroying Nature's creations, you are adversely affected because you can feel the pain and emotions of every living thing Voldemort's ever killed as well as your own severe turmoil. Because of your acute sensitivity to the magical life forces in the world, being near to Voldemort will be many times worse for you than for someone who has no such sensitivity."

"Have I answered your question?"

"Quite well. I have another one now. Are you certain that I'll be able to block this dark aura from my mind with Shield Occlumency?"

"You should find it encouraging that my proximity to you has shielded your mind from Voldemort's aura. It could very well have turned out that I had no such effect on you."

"I'd hate to think of the state I'd be in now if I had been forced to endure that torture since the end of the last Occlumency lesson. If your presence hadn't had this calming affect on me, I'd be suffering even now." Hermione raised her head and looked into her former professor's eyes.

"It's because of you that I haven't started to lose my mind," she told him sincerely. Hermione gave him a small smile. "Thank you,"

"It was through no conscious effort on my part that I was able to alleviate your suffering. It merely happened by chance."

"Do you really think so?" Hermione asked. "Had you not given me the Occlumency lesson when you did, I would have never found this temporary solution to my problem. . . . And I wouldn't have seen you the way I do now, as a protector of sorts and now also"–

"Stop, Miss Granger. Before you end that sentence you need to realise that any attraction you feel towards me and I towards you is a byproduct of the Occlumency lesson. It's real enough at present, but is in no way lasting."

"You seem so sure of yourself. The lesson was over twenty four hours ago. Would its magic really be so strong that it would influence our behaviour for so long? How long is its control over people supposed to last? I wouldn't think it'd be more than a few hours. And you also seem to be forgetting one very important thing."

"Which would be?"

"When you became ill after the lesson you told me that you'd lost _all_ of your magical strength. I've read enough to know that if that ever happens, any spells a person might have been under before the loss of power would instantaneously cease to exit. The Occlumency's magical attraction may have been affecting you during the lesson, but it would have been impossible for it to continue to do so once your strength was gone. I didn't realise it until just now. Remember how I told you that the consequences of touching you seemed to have slipped my mind? Well, this fact truly _did _slip my mind and apparently it slipped yours too."

Severus was silent. Hermione turned her head to look up into his eyes.

"Severus, . . ."

"I feel like a fool. I thought my thoughts of you this afternoon were induced by the Occlumency's magic. And now that I know they weren't . . . I know I could have stopped myself from kissing you. I knowingly allowed my willpower to weaken because I thought that if I . . . gave in to what I thought was the power of the Occlumency, my mind would no longer be filled with inappropriate thoughts of you. If I had realised that the Occlumency lesson couldn't possibly have been the only cause of my lust for you, I never would have tried to seduce you."

"You say that as if you think kissing me was an unimaginably terrible thing," Hermione told him.

"It never should have happened."

Hermione let out a sigh.

"It's not as if you forced yourself on me. Did I even once say no? When you kissed me I felt the same thing for you that you felt for me."

"That doesn't matter, Miss Granger. My willpower should have been greater than the temptation to seduce you."

"So you're telling me you regret what happened?" Hermione asked carefully.

"Knowing what I know now? Yes, of course I regret what happened!"

Hermione stared at him, more than a little taken aback at Severus's adamant tone.

"There's no need for you to raise your voice," she told him.

Hermione moved off of his chest and Severus immediately stood up wanting to physically distance himself from her as quickly as he could.

"I have one last question," she said to his back as she sat on the edge of the bed. "Do you care about my feelings at all or don't you give a damn that you just hurt me?"

Severus did not turn to look at her.

"A couple of hours ago I came into the room with the intent to have sex with you. If I hadn't been called to Voldemort's side, I would have had you in my bed. It doesn't matter how you see it, what I did was morally wrong in more ways than one, and it most certainly won't happen again."

"So it was okay to act on your lust for me when you thought it was Occlumency magic influencing your behavior, but now that you realise your lust was natural it suddenly becomes something utterly reprehensible?"

"What an excellent summation, Miss Granger," Severus almost growled. "Ten points to Griffindor."

He turned around to look at her and saw that her facial expression was one of shock, as if he'd just physically struck her.

"And did it mean absolutely nothing to you?" she asked quietly.

"It's your mistake if you imagined things differently," he told her firmly.

Hermione stilled. There was a fleeting look of hurt in her eyes that was quickly replaced by one of outrage.

"_My mistake? . . .MY MISTAKE? _How the bloody hell was it _my_ mistake?"

"How quickly you seem to forget what I told you. This, Miss Granger, would be one of the possible consequences you should have thought about when you approached me in the way that you did. I did warn you that consequences could be rather unpleasant, didn't I?"

"How dare you!" she shouted indignantly. Then softer, though her words held no less vehemence, she said, "That's not fair, and you know it."

"Didn't your parents ever tell you that life's not fair? If they didn't, I'd say it's high time you learn how true that statement really is. You see, Miss Granger, the reality of the world is that life is anything but fair. In fact, it can be downright cruel," Severus told her simply.

"I can't believe you're being this way. After everything I went through . . . and I was just starting to think that you could be a decent human being. What did I do to deserve this?"

The pain in her voice stung him, but Severus hardened his gaze.

"If you were being as smart now as you usually are, you'd see the situation as I do," he told her evenly.

Hermione stared at him, temporarily stunned.

"So now you suggest that I'm not being smart? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Only that you're full of a disgustingly Griffindor stubbornness that prevents you from being able to see for yourself that the inferences you made about what happened between us are most certainly wrong."

"I . . . just leave me alone," Hermione told him hollowly.

Severus walked out of the room without another word. He went into the parlor area and collapsed into a chair. He hadn't purposely tried to hurt Hermione's feelings, but at least now she'd never accuse him of trying to lead her on and she'd never again do anything to encourage sexual activity between the two of them.

He knew he had treated her more harshly than was strictly necessary, but now she knew better than to question where he stood on the matter of their relationship.

He still could barely comprehend the fact that he had deliberately tried to seduce her without being under any magical influence.

_God, I should have known better._

A one night stand brought on by the lust created by the Occlumency lesson was one thing. It would have happened one time and once their lust was sated, it would have had no reason to happen again. A one night stand had no attachments to it, no expectations for the future.

A physical relationship that went beyond a one night stand, was another thing entirely and was something that Severus would neither initiate nor participate in.

The other thing that got to him was the fact that he hadn't realized that after the brief period of time he'd lost his magical strength, no magic could have possibly sustained power over him. Though in his defense, it wasn't as if he'd been under any type of curse prior to the other times he'd completely lost his powers. So he'd never before witnessed that one particular effect in action.

Still, he should have been more aware of the facts.

Severus sighed softly. He had a pretty good headache beginning at the base of his skull and ending just in front of his temples. It might have been a normal headache had it not been for the unusual depth of the pain.

Severus paid no attention to the severity of it. By now he was quite used to such physical discomfort.

He had had no right to be so thoroughly mean to Hermione. But he couldn't let her think that they might be lovers. There were more than enough reasons why he could not have a sexual relationship with her. And those same reasons were why he shouldn't have kissed her.

If he had just let their relationship remain platonic, things wouldn't have been this way.

Giving into his lust for her had been a mistake, pure and simple. He only wished he could have told her how much better off she'd be without developing an emotional attachment to him.

Allowing that to happen would have been much more cruel of him than anything he had done thus far.

Women could be such emotional creatures. If he had given her any hope at all that the possibility of them becoming lovers was more than non-existent, he would have been risking the possibility of her eventually developing a real attachment to him.

And then when they finally went their separate ways once this situation was over, it would be that much harder for Hermione to leave him. He knew it would hurt her deeply to walk away from him if he let her fall in love with him.

No matter what, Severus wouldn't bring her that kind of pain.

**A/N: **How many of you saw that one coming? I promise Bastard!Snape won't be making a return appearance anytime soon. And no, I haven't forgotten about poor Nymphadora, she'll definitely be in the next chapter along with our favorite Griffindor know-it-all and potions master.

Please don't forget to review!


	19. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: **I don't take credit for anything associated with Harry Potter. No financial profit is being made.

**Unlikely Partners**

**Chapter 18**

Hermione sat on the edge of Severus's bed and stared out the open bedroom door.

_You knew this was coming. Before you even set foot in this place, when Nymphadora told you the truth about what happened, she made a point of informing you that Severus Snape was unable to feel normal emotions. You should have taken that as your hint to avoid getting close to him._

Hermione let out a snort at the thought.

_How could I have let myself think there was more to that man than what meets the eye?_

Hermione thought about everything that had happened in the past two days. They had certainly been the strangest and most complicated forty eight hours of her life.

If someone had told her two months ago that she'd be engaging in sexual activity with Severus Snape she would have personally taken them to the mental ward at St. Mungos.

Even now, a part of her could barely believe what had happened.

_I suppose the best thing I can do is forget it._

_But can you forget it, Hermione?_ a voice in the back of her head asked her.

_I sure as hell can try._

She let out a sigh and ran a hand through her hair.

_Unfortunately, it would be a lot easier to do that if I didn't have to stay in this bloody suite_ _with the man!_

_Of course he'll undoubtedly remind me to forget what happened. _

_Perhaps he'll even Obliviate me._

Hermione let out a mirthless laugh.

_Maybe that's exactly what I need._

_I bet he'd do it if I asked. And there's a chance he'd even do it if I didn't._

_But would that really solve the problem?_

_No. It really wouldn't._

_Because in the end you'd still be attracted to him._

Hermione wanted very much to just let out a scream of frustration.

_If I hadn't needed that stupid Occlumency lesson things would have been different._

_Are you really so sure about that, Hermione?_

_Can you honestly say that even without what happened during that lesson you would never have developed a sexual interest in Severus?_

Hermione didn't want to think about the answer to that question right now.

_There's something seriously wrong with me,_ she thought ruefully.

_What woman in her right mind would be attracted to a man as ill suitable for her as Severus Snape? He's just shown you that he's really nothing but a Gryffindor hating misogynistic prick._

_Because if he deserved to be called anything better he would have shown some regard for your feelings. _

_And since he turned away from you without so much as an "I'm sorry", he obviously doesn't care what your opinion of him is._

_He's not interested in you anymore._

_After how he treated you, you shouldn't even be thinking about him!_

_He made it crystal clear that what happened was because of a big mistake on his part and doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell of ever happening again._

_So don't try to overanalyse things because it's simply not worth it!_

_His being nice to you was only an act. With you being in his care he felt obliged_ _to help you._

_He couldn't have you suffering with Remus and Tonks being obsessed with your safety, could he?_

_By that point he was willing to do anything to keep you from becoming severely unhinged_.

_It had nothing to do with him caring about you in any way past his obligation to keep you free from harm._

_Though it would seem he certainly deems it acceptable to stray from that obligation when he's the one inflicting the harm._

Hermione decided that she would be perfectly happy if she never had to talk to Severus Snape again.

It was unfortunate that that was next to impossible. Though she could try to stay silent for the rest of her stay with him, Hermione knew she wouldn't be able to keep it up for more than a few days.

_But I'm sure he doesn't want to talk to me either._

Also, Hermione still had the last part of Shield Occlumency to learn and she'd certainly have to talk to Severus then!

Knowing that Severus would have to leave her on her own soon, Hermione knew she'd have to complete the lesson sometime tomorrow or the morning of the day after that at the very latest. Probably tomorrow.

And just what was she going to do when that magically induced attraction affected her again?

Would it be different for her, now that she and Severus had kissed?

Would it be better?

Or would it be worse?

Hermione didn't want to dwell on that right now.

Thinking about it wouldn't change its inevitable outcome.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Remus looked at the front page ofyesterday's copy of the Daily Prophet that had been sitting on the night stand next to his bed. With everything he had been doing in the past day and a half he hadn't had time to read it.

Nymphadora still lay nestled against him and he was careful not to disturb her, though when he saw the page's headline he narrowly suppressed an exclamatory snort.

The headline read: **Most Wanted Man** **Still At Large**

And there, on the lefthand side of the page was a remarkably accurate black and white sketch of The Order's most valued spy.

Remus quickly read the article.

_Rufus Scrimgeour announced yesterday that he has personally appointed a task force of top notch Aurors to hunt and capture the murderer of the great Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape. Though it's been nearly six weeks since Dumbledore's death Ministry officials have yet to obtain a lead on this man's whereabouts._

"_This situation must change. We must focus our energies now so that Severus Snape can be apprehended and brought before the law for this most heinous crime he has committed," Scrimgeour told reporters from the prophet early Saturday. _

"_Aurors will be employing all that they can to ensure that this manhunt_ _is a success. Snape may think he's safe under He Who Must Not Be Named's protection, but if he so much as sets one foot in any major city, any minor city, or any village, be it for money, supplies, or what have you, I guarantee that my team will arrest him quick as a wink. He cannot possibly stay hidden forever. Mark my words, Severus Snape's days of freedom are numbered."_

_When asked if Snape once caught would likely be sentenced to death, Scimgeour answered,_

"_Most certainly, most certainly. He will be given a quick trial and I hardly think he'll spend more than twenty four hours in a jail cell. There's no sense in letting the likes of him take up space in Azkaban when there are so many more who need to be imprisoned for much lesser crimes."_

"Rufus, old boy, you haven't got a clue," Remus said softly.

He wondered what the minister would have to say when his aurors came no closer to accomplishing the task a few weeks from now than they had in the previous six.

By then, surely the minister wouldn't be so eloquent in his speech about the forthcoming capture of wizarding Britain's most wanted fugitive.

Remus looked up from the paper at the sound of someone knocking at his front door.

_Perhaps Poppy returned early, _he hoped.

"My dear, I'm sorry but you need to move. Someone's at the door," Remus said gently.

Nymphadora opened her eyes and sat up. She let out a faint groan and curled into a ball in the space Remus had vacated.

"Let's hope that's Poppy Pomfrey," he told her before he left.

Remus opened the flat's door and to his relief, he was greeted by the cheery Hogwarts mediwitch. Outside it was just after dusk.

"Hullo Remus, may I come in?"

"Of course," he told her, holding the door open and motioning for her to step inside.

"I told Minerva I'd get back here tomorrow, but it was a rather generous estimate on my part in case I was delayed due to something unforseen. Is Nymphadora feeling any better?"

"Not much, I'm afraid."

"Where is she now?" Poppy asked looking at the empty sofa in the parlor.

"She's in the bedroom," Remus told her, coloring slightly at the knowing look that immediately came to the mediwitch's face.

It was an old unspoken rule that a wizard didn't take a witch to his bed unless they were in an intimate relationship.

_As if she couldn't bloody guess that already, _Remus thought drily

"Oh so the two of you are living together now?" she asked innocently.

Remus gave her a level stare.

"Not precisely. She still has her own place."

"Ah."

"Would you like to follow me so I can take you to her?"

"Certainly,"

Remus brought Poppy into his bedchamber just as Nymphadora was coming back from using the loo. She gave Poppy a wansmile.

The mediwitch turned to Remus.

"Out." she told him, taking his arm and gently pushing him out the door.

"What?" he asked as he allowed her to steer him out of the room.

"You heard me. Out!"

"Yes, I heard you, but why do I have to leave?"

Poppy looked positively scandalised.

"Why? _Why?_ Because you're a man and men can't be present when a female patient is examined. It's improper and I won't have it!"

Remus threw Nymphadora a look that was a mix between utter bewilderment and plain disbelief.

"Just do as she says," Nymphadora told Remus. "There's no use trying to put up a fight with her, because with Poppy you won't win,"

"But–

"Out!" Poppy told him clearly, prodding him backwards until she had enough room to shut the door. She heard Remus give a defeated sigh from behind the door and then turned back to Nymphadora.

"Now," she said. "Sit down and let me have a look at you,"

Nymphadora obediently sat on the edge of the bed and Poppy approached her to feel her forehead.

"Well you haven't got a fever,"

"No."

"What exactly are your symptoms?"

"Extreme nausea and vomiting, and an unusual lack of strength and energy."

"Have you been eating well?"

"Well enough,"

Poppy felt Nymphadora's forehead a second time, as if to be sure that a fever was out of the question. Poppy sighed and gave Nymphadora a serious look.

"Have you . . . have you been using protection?"

"Yes, Poppy." Nymphadora stated evenly.

"Every time?"

"Yes, Poppy."

"You're sure there wasn't a time where you might have . . . forgot?" the mediwitch pressed.

"I really don't think so,"

Poppy muttered something under her breath.

"What was that?" Nymphadora asked. "I couldn't quite hear you,"

"I said he is a werewolf after all,"

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"I think you ought to do a magical pregnancy test," Poppy told her.

"Now?"

The mediwitch nodded. "Are you aware of how its done? I'll use a sheet of parchment and a needle."

"My mother told me about it once,"

"Good. The needle I can transfigure from something like a sheet of toilet tissue. Have you a plain sheet of parchment around?"

"There should be some in that drawer beneath the night stand." Nymphadora told her.

Poppy went over and after rummaging through the drawer a bit found a half sheet of white paper that was primarily used to make short notes or lists. It would suit her purposes just fine.

She withdrew her wand from a bag she had been carrying and touched its tip to the paper. The mediwitch did a silent spell that caused the paper to brighten with an unusual brilliant glow.

Once satisfied she handed the sheet of parchment to Nymphadora and then went into the toilet chamber to collect a square of paper that could be easily transfigured into a sewing needle.

With a quick swish of her wand the desired needle came into existence in between Poppy's left thumb and index finger.

"Give me one of your hands," Poppy instructed her.

Nymphadora did as she was told. She stretched out her right hand and Poppy took it. The mediwitch then pricked the center of Nymphadora's index finger with the needle. Nymphadora flinched.

"Sorry, dear," Poppy said with a smile.

A drop of glistening blood welled up in the center of the young auror's upturned finger.

"Now hold the parchment below your hand and let the blood drop onto its surface,"

Nymphadora took a steadying breath and followed Poppy's instructions.

The drop of blood fell to the parchment and as soon as it touched its surface and seeped into the parchment's pores, the paper lit up with a pure white light.

Another drop of blood joined the first and where it touched the paper a thin streak of red trailed across the length of the paper, forming letters that looked to be written a rich crimson ink.

Nymphadora sat transfixed, her heart practically in her mouth as two words formed from the blood that had soaked into the charmed parchment.

_**Pregnant, Twins**_

"Let me see your hand again, dear."

Poppy waved her wand across Nymphadora's index finger and the wound magically closed, as if it had never been there at all.

"Congratulations," the mediwitch told her warmly. "Now you know what this means, don't you?"

Nymphadora turned to look at her.

"That I'm not going to be much use to The Order from now on?" she asked with a bit wry humorin her tone.

"You won't be able to use your Metamorph powers at all until after the children are born,"

"I figured as much. Moody will have a fit when he hears."

"I'll bring you some tea tomorrow morning to help take away your sickness. It'll help a lot, though next time you see Severus, if you can pluck up the courage to ask him, request that he brew you a morning sickness potion."

"Why does my morning sickness seem to be lasting all day?" Nymphadora asked.

"It's different for witches than it is for Muggle women. When we're pregnant our magical strength is diminished while the baby is developing. And for those women like you who are used to having such strong powers like those of a Metamorph, the reduction of magical strength takes a harder toll on you physically. If you drink the tea I give you twice a day, you should be feeling better in time to make it to Bill and Fleur's wedding. You can return to your job -though deskwork only for you- after two or three days with the tea."

Nymphadora nodded.

"How far along do you think I am?" she asked.

"It's hard to say. In witches morning sickness usually comes earlier than it does for Muggle women, so it could be as little as ten days to two weeks. Not much more than three I should think. Though, legend has it that male werewolves are at their most potent on the eve before the full moon. Also, because the sire of your children is a werewolf, there's almost no chance of you having a miscarriage."

"If what you said is true than I have a pretty good idea about the date of conception,"

"Nymphadora, I know I shouldn't be asking this, but has Remus been taking his wolfsbane? If he has, I have to say that I'm surprised you conceived while you took precautions. The potion should prevent him from siring children. Another thing that makes me wonder is the fact that your having twins. Werewolves are notoriously known for siring twins and triplets, but only if they aren't receiving the wolfsbane that suppresses the werewolf magic in their blood. I mean it is entirely possible that it's just pure chance he sired twins, but considering the circumstances..."

"Should I be taking special vitamins or something?" Nymphadora asked, wanting desperately to change the subject.

Thankfully, Poppy took the hint to not press the subject of wolfsbane any further.

"The tea I'll be giving you includes some ingredients that will be beneficial to your unborn babies."

"And you'll be bringing that by here tomorrow?"

"Yes. What time do you want me to drop by?"

"Anytime that's convenient for you is fine. Though the sooner the better, I suppose."

"All right then, I'll leave you and Remus to discuss things."

"Thanks, Poppy,"

"You're welcome, dear."

Nymphadora stood up with the mediwitch and slowly walked with her to the bedroom door. The two women entered the parlor to find Remus stretched out on the couch flipping through one of Arthur Weasley's old Muggle science magazines.

"Was she able to diagnose you?" he asked, throwing the magazine to the side and standing up.

"I'll come by in the morning and bring her some tea to help alleviate her illness," Poppy told him as she moved to let herself out of the flat.

"Why were you sick?" Remus asked Nymphadora.

"I'm sorry to have to leave so quickly, but I have some things to do before it gets too terribly late," Poppy told them.

"Good night, Poppy." Nymphadora told her.

"Good night," the mediwitch told her before making her exit.

A few seconds after she had left Remus asked, "Are you all right love?"

Nymphadora came forward and Remus gently encircled his arms around her waist.

For several long seconds Nymphadora didn't say anything.

"You _are_ all right, aren't you?" Remus asked quickly, his deep concern for her apparent in his voice.

Nymphadora looked up into Remus's green eyes.

"I'mpregnant," she muttered hurriedly, knowing how acute a werewolf's hearing was.

"What did you say?" he asked her.

Nymphadora stared into his eyes forcing herself to enunciate unmistakably clearly.

"I said I'm pregnant. You're going to be the father of twins."

**A/N: **Sorry for the two week wait! Just to let all of you know, updates should never take longer than that. And from now on my chapters should all be fairly long. Truthfully, this story's just beginning. I know there wasn't any Severus/Hermione dialogue in this chapter, but it's coming up in the next!

Please review! Your opinions matter to me.

And your author's 19th birthday was on Tuesday, won't you show your appreciation for her by leaving some comments?


	20. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: **I don't take credit for anything associated with Harry Potter. No financial profit is being made.

**Unlikely Partners**

**Chapter 19**

"Oh, Nymphadora," Remus whispered, pulling her close.

"You're not angry or upset?" Nymphadora asked in a small voice.

Remus gently angled her face up towards his.

"Upset? No, I'm not upset, love. Shocked, yes. I'd thought...well, never mind about that now–

"You thought I couldn't conceive," she told him.

"I suppose I knew it wasn't completely impossible, but..." He smiled at her.

"I can't use magic anymore."

"I'm sure Minerva'll find something for you to do."

Remus hugged her.

"I suppose you'll have to think of a new name for yourself now," said Remus.

"A new name for myself?"

"When we get married, I hardly think people will continue to call you by your maiden name."

Nymphadora laughed.

"You're right. I suppose I'll have to think about that."

"Think we should announce our engagement at the wedding on Friday?" Remus asked.

"I don't know. Since we'll be getting married so soon"– she glanced at his eyes as if to confirm that they were in fact getting married as soon as possible, Remus merely smiled so she continued, "I think it might be better if we get married and then announce my pregnancy at the next Order meeting."

"How far along are you?"

"Not more than two weeks,"

"Are you sure you want to announce the news so soon?" he asked gently.

Nymphadora nodded. "I've decided I'm not going to care what the other Order members might think,"

"I'll be there to support you, and I doubt even Moody would dare make any sort of derogatory comment about the mother of my children."

Nymphadora grinned at him.

"Do you reckon he's afraid of you?"

"Perhaps a little,"

"I really love you, you know that?"

Remus kissed her. "And I love you, my dear."

"Poppy's bringing me some teas to help ease my prolonged case of morning sickness."

When Remus looked at her with concern, she added quickly: "Don't worry, she says it perfectly normal since I'm a Metamorph and my powers are being suppressed almost entirely because of the pregnancy and the sudden lack of power causes violent nausea."

"Do you feel okay standing up right now? Perhaps you'd better go lie down again."

Remus's concern for her touched Nymphadora's heart.

"I'll go lay down. Will you come in and talk to me for a little while? I became wide awake when I heard the news and I'm not going to be able to fall asleep for a while."

"I wouldn't leave you alone right now even if you begged me to,"

Remus offered his arm to his soon-to-be bride and the two of them walked back to his bedchamber.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Hermione went into the suite's master bathroom and filled herself a cup of water. She took a sip from it and let out a long sigh.

She knew that it was well into the evening and that she should go out into the other room to get something to eat, but the last thing she wanted to do was face Severus so soon after their last argument.

_Besides, I'm not even hungry now._

Maybe it was stupid of her to forego a meal just because she didn't particularly feel like being in the same room as her former professor, but at the moment she didn't care if she was being stupid.

She downed the rest of her water and then brushed her teeth. Her parents always told her how important it was to brush her teeth three times a day instead of the usual two. Though, she wasn't doing it so much because she wanted to have extra clean and brilliantly white teeth, but because she wanted to have something to do.

If she didn't do something constructive she might just break down and start throwing things.

Hermione gripped the handle of her toothbrush tighter than was strictly necessary and brushed her teeth vigorously for the full three minutes her parents had told her was required for optimum cleanliness.

She had just spat into the sink after rinsing her mouth out when she heard the bedroom door open, followed by Severus's footsteps.

Hermione closed the bathroom door and waited to hear the sound of Severus leaving the bedroom.

She had no intention of talking to him right now. There was nothing that needed to be said.

After several seconds the other door in the room opened and closed. Hermione waited a few more seconds before emerging from the bathroom.

The first thing she noticed was a tea tray set out on top of the mahogany desk. She walked over to investigate.

There was a half full teapot which Hermione sniffed inquisitively. The still steaming drink smelled spicy like cinnamon with a hint of fruit. A teacup sat next to the pot and next to that sat a plate of butter cookies.

Hermione blinked.

Under other circumstances she might have laughed, but after how Severus had acted she was now more than a little perplexed.

_He yells at me until I'm nearly in tears and then brings me tea and cookies?_

As she smelled the tea again, Hermione wished she hadn't brushed her teeth. The tea would be cold by the time the mint taste of the toothpaste was out of her mouth.

She took a seat at the desk and picked up a butter cookie.

_He couldn't possibly be trying to apologise to me, could he? Me, a cheeky, headstrong, recalcitrant Gryffindor?_

_No, my eyes deceive me._

_The Severus Snape that walked out of here wasn't a man who was sorry about he said._

_And considering what Tonks told me about the Dark Mark, I'm not even sure if he could genuinely apologise to someone._

_And yet . . ._

_No, he just wants to make sure I eat and drink._

_He's probably doing this in the hope that when I leave here I don't tell Remus and Tonks that he was a perfect prick the entire time I was with him._

Hermione poured the tea into the cup and took a very small sip.

As she had expected, her taste buds were still quite off. She nibbled on a second cookie, her thoughts drifting back to her former professor.

_Stop thinking about him Hermione!_

And truthfully she really didn't want Severus Snape in her thoughts right now. But for some reason, she couldn't force his image from her mind.

Suddenly, Hermione slammed a fist down onto a butter cookie, effectively smashing the square wafer into bits. After venting her anger, Hermione let out a defeated exhalation.

She wiped the tiny crumbs that stuck to her hand and rose from her seat at the desk.

She was suddenly felt terribly weary and crawled onto the room's luxurious sleigh bed for the night.

But though her body was tired, her mind was still awake enough to wander.

And wander it did, to the man that was in the other room.

The man that had kissed her with such intense erotic ardor that if Hermione lived to be one hundred and fifty, she'd remember every detail of Severus's mouth on hers as clearly on the day she died as she did right now.

She remembered the feel of his body against hers, the masculine scent of his breath, the taste of his mouth and it was enough to make her body react in an embarrassing way.

Was the magical attraction of the Occlumency affecting her even now?

Or was she really so daft that now she had developed some sort of genuine desire for Hogwarts' former potions master?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Hermione awoke when the late morning sunlight streamed into the bedroom through the window behind the bed. She showered and changed into a pair of jeans and a thin strapped tank white tank top bearing the Union Jack in the middle.

When she came out of the master bathroom, she saw that the door leading to Severus's other rooms was open and so was the door that led to the suite's kitchen.

Hermione knew she was still uncomfortable about seeing Severus, but then, she had a feeling that for the rest of the time she had to stay in these rooms she'd always have a certain degree of discomfort when being around him.

Hermione left the bedroom and found Severus sitting at the table, a cup of tea and a plate with some kind of nut muffin in front of him. He was reading a copy of the Daily Prophet.

He looked up upon hearing her enter the room, but didn't say anything.

_So much for thinking there might still be a chance he'd apologise, _thought Hermione drily.

Severus returned to his perusal of the paper, leaving Hermione to get her breakfast on her own.

She glanced at the kitchen counter and saw a plastic container of muffins sitting next to the stove. Hermione went over and found that the nuts in the muffins were pecans.

"When you're through with breakfast we will finish your Occlumency lesson," Severus announced.

"I thought you were going to wait as long as possible to use Legillimency again," Hermione told him. She picked up a muffin and peeled off the paper.

"I'm leaving tomorrow morning. I think it's best that you have a day to practice employing the technique before I leave you alone."

Hermione didn't say anything. She looked down at the muffin she was holding, despite the fact that she hadn't had a proper meal since yesterday's breakfast she wasn't very hungry.

She took a bite of the muffin anyway, chewed, and forced herself to swallow.

_Surprise Hermione! It turns out you get the pleasure of finishing your Shield Occlumency lesson sooner than you'd expected._

_- - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -_

Severus had remained utterly silent whilst Hermione ate and drank. By the time she had finished her breakfast she was feeling more than a little ill.

Continuing her lesson with Snape was the very last thing she wanted to do be doing right now.

_It's necessary, _she told herself firmly. _And once I get through it I never have to do anything like it again._

Hermione approached Severus after taking her glass and plate to the sink.

Severus stood up as she came near and regarded her with a neutral gaze.

"How long is this going to take?" Hermione asked him.

"It all depends on how well you succeed in learning the last part of the shielding process," Severus informed her.

_Well then, thank God I'm a quick learner,_ thought Hermione. She flatly refused to acknowledge the fact that once Snape entered her mind and she began to use Occlumency, the magical attraction both had experienced during the first lesson would be renewed.

_Whatever happens, it won't last long. I won't let it. I'll show Snape that I can easily learn the final step of Shield Occlumency and effectively block Voldemort's presence from my mind._

"Take a seat, Miss Granger," Severus told her, moving to the two plush chairs in the parlor area.

Hermione settled herself into one and Severus sat down in the chair that remained.

"Breathe in deeply through your nose and exhale slowly through your mouth."

Hermione did as Severus said.

"Do that twice more," he instructed.

When Hermione was done Severus told her, "Now focus your gaze on my eyes and do not look away,"

Hermione stared at Severus and felt his presence enter her mind.

She jumped instinctively, but didn't lower her gaze.

Severus remained calm as if he had been expecting her to react in the exact way that she had.

_I'm going to leave it up to your discretion to decide if we will review what you've already learned,_ Severus said inside her mind.

Hermione didn't immediately reply.

Severus hadn't said it, but she knew he was referring to the fact that the Occlumency's power of attraction would take effect as soon as Hermione began the process of shielding. If she didn't feel that she absolutely needed the practice, it would probably be better for her to proceed straight onto the final process that would enable her to permanently block Voldemort from her consciousness. It would also make the lesson a lot easier for the both of them if they did things so that the Occlumency's magic would affect them for the shortest period of time possible.

Hermione thought about everything that she learned two days ago. She was confident that she remembered everything Severus had taught her.

_Let's just move on to what I need to know to get Voldemort out of my mind, _she told him, communicating with her thoughts.

_Then what you will do is this: hold in your mind the people dearest to you. The more people you think about, the easier this will be._

_Tell me once you have a clear picture in your mind._

Hermione brought up a picture of everyone she loved most standing on the Hogwarts grounds on a clear spring day. Her parents were there along with some of her other family members, Harry and Ron, Hagrid, Neville, McGonagall, Fred Weasley, George Weasley, Ginny, Molly, Remus and Nymphadora,

She pictured them all talking amongst each other, occasionally letting out a laugh or two.

_Alright, I've done what you've said,_ she told him.

_Now focus on that image so that you will not lose it, _said Severus. _I am now going to open your mind to awareness of Voldemort's proximity. When I do, you will concentrate on inserting yourself into the image you've created. Then you will draw strength from the image in your mind, imagining yourself in such a safe place that Voldemort could never hurt you there, and you will focus all your attention on doing two things. The first is concentrating with every fiber of your being on that image you created, think about why what the image holds means so much to you. At the same time you will use your mind to "push" Voldemort's presence from your consciousness, until you are no longer affected by it._

_Once you succeed in doing so while I use Legillimency to make you think about Voldemort's closeness, I will leave the room and you will see if you can succeed in employing the technique alone._

_And once you can do that, the lesson is finished._

_Now are you ready for me to proceed?_

_Yes, I am._

Hermione focused clearly on the faces of the people she had pictured in her mind.

A few seconds later she felt Voldemort's dark oppressive presence seep into the air around her. She forced herself not to struggle to breathe and instead envisioned herself standing with the people she cared about on the grass beside Hogwarts' lake.

She imagined the light breeze that blew through the trees on her cheeks and her mother smiling at her as she approached. Hermione envisioned herself looking around at the small crowd of her family and closest friends.

These were the people that she cared the most about, and also cared the most about her.

She then summoned up every ounce of mental strength she possessed and concentrated on pushing Voldemort from her mind.

The people she envisioned were everything that Voldemort was not. They all knew the true meaning of love and because of that every one of them was an antithesis to Voldemort. She loved them all in different ways and valued her relationships with them above all else.

Hermione felt confident that she would be able to force Voldemort from her thoughts.

But then everything changed and she was no longer standing on the Hogwarts grounds with the people she cared about.

She stiffened as her thoughts were invaded by a scene with her and Severus together, engaging in sexual activity. Quickly, she tried to conjure up the image of her friends and family at Hogwarts, but no matter how hard she tried to bring it forth into her mind, the risque image she was trying so hard to ignore only became more detailed.

It appeared that she and Severus were on the floor beside a fireplace bright with roaring flames. Several blankets had been thrown onto the floor which the two of them were using as a makeshift bed.

They were both without a stitch of clothing and Hermione could see that the flexed muscles of Severus's back were damp with sweat from his exertions.

Hermione was on her hands and knees and Severus was positioned on top of her. Hermione could plainly see that she and Severus were intimately joined and she watched herself gasp as Severus thrust into her from behind.

Like a dog servicing a bitch in heat.

Hermione colored at the sight of the image in her mind.

_Ignore it and get the hell back to finishing the lesson,_ Severus demanded.

Hermione tried with all her strength to ignore the image but no matter how hard she tried to envision Hogwarts' lake with the people she loved around it, the image of her and Severus having sex would not go away or even fade.

_I can't do it._

_Yes, you can. You have to. _Severus told her firmly.

_I told you, I can't!_

_Then you must not be concentrating enough, _Severus hissed bitingly in her mind.

_I'm concentrating as hard as I possibly can! The only way for it to go away is for you to get out of my mind and I'll thank you to do so right this second!_

_No. If I withdraw from your mind now I will not be able to perform Legillimency again before I leave. This is the one and only opportunity you have to master the skills needed to force Voldemort's presence from your consciousness._

_You already told me how to push Voldemort from my mind, I think I'll be able to succeed in the task when I'm left alone._

_Before you can do that you must practice while I am here._

_Why?_

_Because I was using my power to let only a fraction of awareness enter your mind. I was holding back most of what you normally experience when left by yourself in Voldemort's proximity._

_Are you telling me that it was easy for me to start to repel Voldemort's darkness from my mind because you somehow used Legillimency to reduce the amount of his presence that I was exposed to?_

_Yes, exactly. You must now try to repel that much of his presence from your mind._

One more time Hermione made a great effort to return to Hogwarts' grounds and the assembly of people.

It still proved to be impossible for her to do so. And the sexual image of her and Severus was as vivid as it had been when it first came to her mind.

_I still can't do it._

_Don't say that. Just try again._

_No! It's not possible for me to do what you want me to!_

_You're going to be very sorry later on if you make me leave your mind right now._

_I don't care!_

_Yes, you do. Now try to continue the lesson one more time._

_Did you see what I saw?_

_Do not stray from the task at hand, Miss Granger, _Severus told her evenly.

_Did you see what I saw?_ Hermione asked again, this time more emphatically.

Severus didn't immediately respond.

_Yes,_ he told her tersely.

_And were you able to banish it completely from your mind?_

Another quick silence.

_No._

_THEN WHY ARE YOU ASKING ME TO DO SOMETHING THAT NOT EVEN YOU CAN ACCOMPLISH?_

_Miss Granger, calm down!_

_Get out of my mind first and then I will!_

_Miss Granger–_

"GET OUT!" she shrieked at him as loud as she could.

_You're not thinking rationally._

"Oh I assure you, Snape, I'm thinking quite rationally. _Now get out._"

Severus complied immediately. And as soon as he pulled out of her mind, Hermione ran from the room.

"Miss Granger!"

Hermione didn't stop until she reached Severus's bedchamber. She slammed the door shut and leaned against it briefly before slowly sinking down to the floor.

Her chance at finding peace in this place while Severus was gone during the day was ruined.

What was she going to do now?

**A/N: **Please review! I really want to know your thoughts and opinions.


	21. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: **I don't take credit for anything associated with Harry Potter. No financial profit is being made.

**Unlikely Partners**

**Chapter 20**

Hermione heard Snape's voice behind the door.

"Miss Granger, I want to talk to you."

Hermione didn't respond. She hoped that if she stayed silent, Severus would turn around and let her have some privacy.

But those hopes were dashed when not ten seconds later she heard Severus's voice a second time.

"Either come out here or let me in."

Hermione made no move to comply.

_I don't want to talk to him, much less see him. It's not like he can do anything to change what happened._

"Listen, there may be a way to temporarily prevent you from being affected by Voldemort's proximity while I'm away that has nothing to do with Shield Occlumency."

"What is it? Another potion?" she asked sullenly.

"No, it's not a potion. Open the door and let me explain."

Hermione stood up and opened the door a little bit. She looked up at Severus's face.

"Are you really being honest about this with me? Is there really another possibility?"

"It's not an ideal solution, and it's certainly not the easiest, but I think it could help you."

Hermione opened the door further and stepped out into the room. She wasn't about to let Severus into the bedroom with her given everything that had happened.

She shut the door and asked, "What does this solution involve?"

"You would have to make your subconscious view someone other than myself as your protector."

"And what would I have to do to make that happen?" Hermione asked, less than convinced that Severus's solution was a plausible one.

"Faced with no other option, I'm willing to drive you to London so that you can obtain a token from a certain young man."

Hermione narrowed her eyes in confusion.

"I don't understand,"

"Remember how I told you that when I entered your mind the first time I may see things you may not want me to see?"

"You didn't–

"I know you slept with one of the Weasley Twins."

Hermione stared at him in horror, her shock preventing her from coloring crimson. After several seconds silence where Hermione regained her composure she asked, "And why would Fred giving me some kind of token enable me to be free from torment in your absence?"

"Miss Granger, have you heard of a lover's amulet?"

Hermione gave Severus an icy glare.

"Yes. It's usually something a man gives to his wife if he has to leave her for more than a few days. While thinking of her, he can imbue a crystal with a bit of his passion for her. This passion is an essence of himself and when worn by the woman, it prevents her from feeling completely alone."

"An ordinary object can be easily transfigured into a simple crystal necklace," Severus told her.

"It would be one thing if I had a guarantee that this idea would work. But there's a real chance that we could go through all the trouble to obtain this amulet and have it do nothing to stop me from suffering while I stay here."

"I'm afraid you're not going to get a guarantee, Miss Granger, but I do believe that an amulet from Weasley will let you live in peace over the course of the next few weeks. As I said before, a woman sees her lover as her protector. It's quite logical to believe that you'll be protected by Weasley."

Hermione snorted.

"A lover's amulet between a non married couple doesn't last longer than three weeks. I'll likely still be here three weeks from now when the amulet's magic has faded away. What then?"

"You can go back to Weasley with a new amulet."

"Isn't it dangerous for us to take me away from here? Are you sure Voldemort won't sense my absence somehow?"

"Voldemort believes me to be hard at work in the potions lab beneath Downing Street. My rooms are not warded against Apparation so we will be able to Apparate from here directly to my car. Voldemort cannot sense the presence or the absence of any non-virgin, so no, he will not know that you left the mansion."

"I suppose it would be really foolish for me to refuse to go forward with your plan," she told him.

"Not if you wish to experience great discomfort several hours at a time," said Severus with more than a hint of sarcasm.

"Fine," she told him firmly. "What are you going to do, drop me off in London so I can go to Diagon Alley?"

"No. I'm going to get you an escort first."

"Who?" Hermione demanded.

"Nymphadora will suffice. Remus can contact her at the Ministry after we arrive at his flat,"

"You're going to tell _Remus _the reason why I can't stay here alone?"

Severus let out a sigh.

"Well, he _will _ask when he sees you with me, won't he?"

"What are you going to say?" asked Hermione, a bit fearfully.

Severus gave her a droll stare.

"I'll tell him the bare minimum required to sate his curiosity."

"But . . . but he'll have to be told that I slept with Fred Weasley. A lover's amulet can only be created between couples who have had sex...once he learns the reason for why I need to go see Fred–

"Do stop it, Miss Granger. You can either forget about your ridiculous Gryffindor sense of modesty and we can leave at once to find you a source of relief, or can you refuse to let certain individuals know what you did and suffer tomorrow without any alleviation."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Once Severus had driven off of the property, Hermione turned to him and asked what had taken place at the meeting Voldemort had called.

Severus explained everything about Voldemort's desire to find Narcissa and Draco and find out why Remus hadn't yet submitted to Greyback's will, including how he planned to learn information by having his Death Eaters perform the dark form of scrying.

"It's better that I speak to Remus today. He can't mention my name in connection with the Order anytime after sunset when he'll be watched."

"Isn't there away to shield someone from being scryed?" Hermione asked seriously.

"You have to remember that scrying is usually done without malevolent intent. And when that's the case the only way to counter the spell is by performing dark magic, magic that only a criminal would be willing to perform. As far as I know, there isn't a way to counter a malevolent scrying spell using normal magic."

"You know, the Ministry seems to think that all Voldemort does at his Revels is torture people his Death Eaters have captured for sport. How . . . how often does that happen?"

Severus looked over at Hermione briefly, his expression guarded.

"The Ministry's beliefs are based on truth," he told her, turning his attention back on the road. "But it doesn't happen nearly as often as they think, though . . .

_It still happens, _Hemione thought silently.

"Though that makes the acts that are committed no less heinous in nature. Voldemort . . . he immensely enjoys watching women be raped. The Ministry knows that, though they'd never publicise even half of what they know has happened. Instead, a few of their Unspeakables developed a way of rendering every male carrying the Dark Mark incapable of conceiving a child unless the woman they were with also carried the Dark Mark. It was an almost unanimous opinion that a child of a Death Eater would possess its father's malice, especially if it was a boy. I can't tell you how they did it, but those working on the Ministry's secret projects can damn well do nearly anything."

Hermione had an urge to ask if Severus had ever raped a woman, but couldn't force herself to get the words out. Plus, she wasn't entirely certain that she wanted to hear the answer to that question.

_He wouldn't, _she told herself.

But he hadn't explicitly told her that he had never raped a woman.

_That doesn't mean that he did._

Severus looked over at her again.

"I've never raped a woman." he told her firmly before looking ahead. "It was one of the reasons why Voldemort always harboured a certain degree of suspicion where I was concerned until he came to believe that I murdered Albus for him."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

There was a light drizzle in the air when Severus and Hermione walked from the car park to Remus's flat across the street.

Severus knocked smartly on the door. He and Hermione didn't have to wait long for Remus to open it.

"You are the last two people I expected to find standing on my doorstep," he told them without preamble, his brow raised in a mix of curiosity and surprise.

"Miss Granger needs to ask a favour of Nymphadora," Severus told him. "Can you tell her to leave the Ministry early and come over here?"

"I could, Severus, but I won't have to. She's already here. What's this about?"

"I'll let Miss Granger explain things to Nymphadora. And there's something I need to discuss with you concerning Voldemort's newest plan."

"I need to discuss something with you as well. Come in,"

Severus and Hermione entered the flat to find Nymphadora sitting on the couch clad in a light blue terry cloth bath robe and matching slippers. She had a teacup in her right hand.

"Hermione!" she exclaimed. "What in the world are you doing out with Severus?"

Hermione gave her a tentative smile.

"I have a bit of a problem and I was hoping you could help me,"

"Come and have a seat and tell me what the matter is," Nymphadora told her.

Remus motioned for Severus to follow him into the kitchen.

"You first," Remus told him, leaning his back against the counter.

Severus quickly explained that Death Eaters were planning to use scrying spells to discover why he was able to resist Greyback's controlling magic.

"But they can't do anything in the daylight, can they?"

"No. Fortunately that gives you an advantage," Severus said to him.

"Then that shouldn't be too difficult to deal with,"

"I wouldn't necessarily say that. It's probably best if you and Nymphadora weren't together during the night so that Voldemort doesn't discover your attachment to her."

Remus exhaled forcefully.

"They can't scry the entire flat can they? They can only focus on me and anyone who might be standing in the same room as me, right?"

"If you and she share a room, they will be able to see her just as clearly as they see you,"

"But what if she's not in the same room as I am?"

"Then she'll be undetectable."

"I suppose this could go on for some time, couldn't it?"

"Yes, it very well could."

"All of the Death Eaters are willing to pay with their own blood for the spells?"

Severus shrugged.

"Even unwilling, they don't have much of a choice."

Remus looked at him, an unspoken question in his eyes.

"I wasn't asked to participate in the spells," Severus told him. "Now what was it that you wanted to discuss with me?"

"I saw Minerva yesterday," said Remus. "After I had finished translating the information on how to indirectly destroy a Horcrux. A item that was a former Horcrux, like Slytherin's ring, is needed as the main ingredient of a potion that destroys a living Horcrux. But the thing is, the ring is missing from the box Albus put it in,"

Severus looked squarely into Remus's eyes.

"You know I would tell the Order if I knew Voldemort had reclaimed it. And I'll tell you now that I know he doesn't have it, though he does want it."

"If Voldemort doesn't have it already, who in the hell has it now?"

"Can we be sure that Albus didn't decide to destroy the ring to prevent Voldemort from getting it back?" Severus asked seriously.

"If he did, he would have told us, don't you think? Also, if he had decided to do it last minute, he would have at least left us a letter about it."

"Either he destroyed it or someone managed to take it. Since Voldemort doesn't have it, I think it's more likely that Albus destroyed it."

"Wouldn't he have had some idea that it could have been used to help destroy the remaining Horcruxes? He wouldn't just destroy something with potential value, would he?"

"The man wasn't infallible, Remus." Severus said curtly.

"I'm aware of that. Plus he wasn't counting on Voldemort deciding to take Hermione as a hostage to prevent Harry from destroying the Horcruxes."

"Very true."

"So should I tell Minerva that you think Albus got rid of it?"

"You'll have to tell her something about it when she asks," Severus said pointedly.

"I'll tell her Voldemort's still looking for it and see what she says,"

"If we're finished with this conversation, I'm sure Hermione and Nymphadora are finished with theirs."

"There's one more thing, Severus. I'd like to know what you're going to tell Hermione if she asks you why Albus trusted you,"

"I don't see how that is any of your concern."

Remus ignored him.

"Would you dodge her question? Or would you give her a straight answer?"

"I honestly don't think the girl needs to know anything more than she knows now," Severus said evenly.

"So while she's with you, you don't think she'll find out about those headaches of yours?" Remus asked seriously.

"Even if she found out about them, she has no reason to think they're anything more than common migraines," said Severus in a low voice.

"Come now, Severus!" said Remus in a harsh whisper. "Hermione's quite an intelligent lass, if she finds out that you're getting headaches every night she's not going to stop until she finds the real reason why you have them."

"Why don't you let me worry about what Miss Granger does and doesn't find out?"

Remus was about to reply when Nymphadora called his name from the parlor. Severus followed him out of the kitchen, back to where the two women were sitting on the sofa.

"Hermione needs to go see Fred in Diagon Alley," Nymphadora told Remus. "Will you go with her please?"

Hermione turned to Nymphadora.

"Perhaps we can do this tomorrow when you aren't feeling ill," she ventured to say. Nymphadora looked at Remus and then back at Hermione.

"Hermione, I'm not sick, . . . I'm pregnant."

Whatever Hermione had been expecting Nymphadora to say, it hadn't been that.

"Congratulations," she said as heartily as she could manage, as she thought about having to tell Remus the precise reason for her visit to the Weasley twins' joke shop.

"Thanks, Hermione."

"Why do you need to see Fred?" Remus asked Hermione.

"He has something that she needs," Nymphadora told Remus, the look in her eyes imploring him not to ask any further questions.

"Alright then, do you want to go now?" Remus asked.

Hermione nodded meekly.

"Come on," he told her. He grabbed his coat. Hermione stood up and walked over to him.

Severus watched the two of them exchange a few words and then simultaneously vanish from the room.

Severus sat down in a tan chair next to the sofa. He didn't say anything for over a minute and neither did Nymphadora.

When he had been thinking through this plan, he had counted on Nymphadora being able to take Hermione to see Fred. He certainly hadn't expected to find out she was pregnant, thus rendering her unable to act as Hermione's escort for the trip.

She was the last person he wanted to be alone with right now.

The winter before Sirius's death, after one of the Order meetings, the two of them had spent the night together.

And it hadn't been a usual one night stand. He and Nymphadora had spent the night sating their lust multiple times in multiple ways.

It had truly been a night to remember. But as he had never been alone with her since, he had always managed to banish all indecent thoughts of the woman from his mind.

Now he was alone with her. And he was vividly remembering of that night.

He knew he shouldn't be thinking about her. But then, he firmly believed it was better for him to think about Nymphadora than about Hermione.

Judging by her silence, Nymphadora's thoughts were the same as his.

Finally, Severus decided to break the silence.

"Does Remus know?"

He knew he didn't have to specify what he was talking about.

"No."

Another stretch of silence ensued.

Severus stared into the empty fireplace, the memory of Nymphadora's wordless exclamations as he pleasured her at the forefront of his mind.

"I'm marrying Remus," Nymphadora told him, ending the silence.

"Congratulations on the coming child," told her.

"Actually, it's children. I'm having twins."

"When I get back to the lab I'll make you a morning sickness potion,"

"If it's convenient for you I'd really appreciate that,"

"Good."

"Will you and Hermione stay for lunch? I'll go see what's in the kitchen."

"Should you be on your feet right now? If your morning sickness is–

"I'm fine," She told him, slowly standing up.

Severus didn't comment again as she left the room.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Remus and Hermione returned in less than an hour. Severus was flipping through a Muggle magazine titled _The Ecologist_, when the two of them appeared in the parlor.

"Where's Nymphadora?" Remus asked.

"In the kitchen preparing food."

Severus looked over at Hermione.

"Did you get the amulet?"

Hermione walked over to his chair. She held up a gold chain with a thumb sized pentagonal quartz crystal that glowed as if a flame burned inside of it.

"Remus?" Severus asked. "Can you give Hermione some parchment and a pen so that she can write her letter to the Weasleys?"

"Of course. Take a seat at the desk, Hermione. There's parchment on the top shelf and pens in the middle right drawer,"

Remus saw that Hermione found what she needed and then went to join Nymphadora in the kitchen.

"Do I need to be very specific about this?" Hermione asked.

"No. Just say something along the lines of that you regret that illness prevents you from attending the wedding and that you wish to give your warmest regards to the bride and groom."

"That's it?"

"That's it. Since when have Potter and Weasley been sticklers for detail?"

Hermione sighed.

She swiftly wrote out a few sentences, signed her name at the bottom and carefully folded the parchment into thirds.

"I'll just leave this on the desk then,"

After a lunch of salmon and rice, Severus and Hermione left the flat and drove back to Voldemort's Cambridge estate.

"I guess I'll soon find out if it was worth it to go through all that trouble." Hermione told him as they turned down the drive that led to the mansion.

Seconds after Severus parked his car, he and Hermione Apparated back into the parlor of his suite.

"Go into the other room and we'll put this theory to the test,"

Hermione went into the bedchamber and stood at the far corner of the room.

Severus left his rooms and stood out in the hallway. He counted slowly to thirty. He then joined Hermione in his bedroom.

"Well?" he asked.

Hermione had a delighted smile on her face.

"I'll assume from your obvious happiness that the amulet did the trick."

"Thank God."

"Then you won't mind if I leave you now. I need to go find out what Bellatrix is up to."

"Oh. Okay. Please, go ahead."

Severus left his rooms, leaving Hermione alone for the first time without any kind of distress.

_I never even got a chance to thank him for his idea._

_Though I doubt he would have wanted my thanks anyway._

_Fred Weasley is the man you should be thanking. After all, he didn't have to agree to make the amulet for you._

_And I did thank him as I'm very grateful for what he did for me._

_Perhaps I should quit thinking about Severus and think about Fred instead._

_He's witty, intellectual, sweet, all good qualities you want to find in a man. Not to mention the fact that he's quite a bit closer to your own age, Hermione!_

_In all seriousness I should be more attracted to Fred than to Severus!_

But somehow, seeing Fred again and rekindling memories of their lovemaking didn't fill her with renewed desire for him.

And no matter how she tried to be attracted to him again, all she seemed able to think about was Severus!

**A/N: **Please let me know what you're thinking!


	22. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: **see first 20 chapters.

**Unlikely Partners**

**Chapter 21**

Severus descended the main staircase that led to the mansion's entrance hall. Bellatrix had her own private rooms on the ground level.

Severus would use Legillimency to rifle through Bella's recent memories to see if she had recently been in contact with her sister. Though Bellatrix was quite adept at Occlumency, there was only one way for Severus to see her memories without her realizing it.

Severus smirked at the very thought. Bellatrix had no idea that for the past year, she'd been giving Severus valuable information to pass along to the Order.

If only the bitch knew what she was doing. Severus could only imagine what her reaction would be.

Certainly she'd want to kill him. Castrate him. Torture him mercilessly. And not in that order.

Fortunately, unless he ever suddenly decided that he wanted to be gelded, tortured and killed and actually went to Bellatrix and told her what he was doing, there was no possible way for her to guess that he was stealing information from her mind.

When he reached the floor, Severus turned left into a long corridor. Most of the rooms in this part of the mansion were vacant and Voldemort, always efficient at designating areas for his needs on only one side of the mansion, had no use for the extra chambers.

Bellatrix's bedroom was the seventh door on the right. Without any hesitation, Severus opened the door like he owned the place. As Voldemort's second in command, he had the right to make demands on the lower ranking Death Eaters.

Severus found Bellatrix sitting on her bed, reading a piece of paper, presumably a letter from someone. She jerked her head up from the parchment at the sound of him entering her room. An opened white envelope lay next to her on the mattress, letting Severus know that the letter had been sent through the Muggle postal service.

_What the devil are you reading, Bellatrix? _Severus wondered. _Something from your dear sister, perhaps?_

Bellatrix immediately folded the paper in her hand and returned it to its envelope. She then reached down to the floor and deposited the envelope into her black purse.

Severus moved further into the room. Bellatrix didn't seem overly concerned that Severus had caught her reading the parchment. But he knew she could very well be feigning nonchalance so that he wouldn't think anything of it.

Though Severus would have loved to get his hands on the paper, he knew there was a good chance he'd be able to view its contents when he saw Bellatrix's memories.

Bellatrix got to her feet and approached Severus.

"And here I was beginning to think that you were tired of my company," she told him with a half smile.

Severus took a step towards her.

"I'm sure you weren't alone during my absence," said Severus.

"Yes, but it's not as if I particularly enjoyed the time I spent with the others. Surely, you must know that, Severus. Most of them are oafish pansies who come nearly as soon as their trousers are off,"

"How unfortunate for you," Severus remarked drily as he advanced on her.

It was no secret that Bellatrix's marriage had been for convenience only and both parties involved sought out other sexual partners on a regular basis. And if one were to look up the definition of nymphomaniac in a dictionary, there was a very good likelihood that Bellatrix's picture would be next to the entry.

Right now, she was more than happy to let Severus have his way with her. During intercourse, being the adept Legillimens that he was, Severus would have easy access to all of Bellatrix's recent memories and thoughts. When intimately joined with a woman, a man who was an especially good Legillimens could view his partner's thoughts with little or no effort.

But besides the need to get information from the mind of Bellatrix Lestrange, Severus also had a few much more carnally based reasons for his visit to Bella's chambers. If he sated his pent up lust with Bellatrix, perhaps he could finally get his mind off of indecent thoughts about both Hermione and Nymphadora.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Hermione went into the suite's parlor, with the intention of finding something interesting to read from Severus's bookshelves. Late afternoon sunlight poured into the room through its large window. At this hour the light fell right over the back of the sofa so Hermione would have a good source of light to read by.

The warmth of the light felt good on her skin as she walked past the window to the two dark wooden shelves. Hermione was holding one hand against the crystal around her neck, drawing a relaxed contented comfort from its heat against her palm.

She knelt down in front of the first shelf and looked at the titles of its volumes. More than half of the shelf was taken up by books on potions. Two were about Legillimency and Occlumency. Others were about English history, Muggle and Magical.

Hermione moved to look at the books on the second shelf and was more than a little surprised at the title of the first book she saw.

_What's Severus doing with a hardcover edition of Watership Down? Holding it for a friend?_ Hermione wondered in amusement.

Intrigued, Hermione took the book from the shelf and opened it up as if to make sure that the book really was Watership Down, the well known allegorical tale of talking rabbits.

And indeed, it was.

Hermione couldn't help laughing out loud. Obviously Severus was a man who only kept things he wanted to keep. This book must have meant something to him for him to have it in his collection. But it certainly didn't seem like something he would buy for himself.

_This must have been a gift,_ Hermione thought.

But who would have given Severus such a present? Hermione could imagine Dumbledore, perhaps even Minerva gifting Severus with the novel. It would be in their nature to give Severus something so hilariously out of place with the rest of his reading material.

Thinking that she could find some sort of note from the person who had given this to Severus, or at the very least a to and from line, Hermione turned to the inside of the cover.

As she had expected, Hermione found a note written in round elegant handwriting. But it was not from Dumbledore or Minerva McGonagall. Astonished at what she saw, Hermione's eyes widened after she quickly read the script.

_Severus,_

_Happy Christmas! Sorry, when I saw this I really couldn't resist. Honestly though, this in one of my favourite books and despite what I know you're thinking right now, this isn't just a book about cute and fuzzy talking bunnies. And you know I wouldn't have gotten it for you if I thought you'd utterly despise it._

_With all my sincerest regards,_

_Lily_

Hermione wasn't sure what to think. Why would Harry's mother give something like this to Severus? And what's more, the note had a very familiar tone. But from everything Harry had told her, Severus and his mother had been far from being close friends.

She supposed that this Lily could be a different woman, but knew full well that wasn't very likely. Obviously, there was more to the story of Severus's relationship with Lily Potter than what Harry knew.

Her interest piqued, Hermione wanted to know more. Unfortunately, she seriously doubted that Severus would give her _any_ information on the subject if she asked him. He'd only refuse to answer her questions just as he had done regarding the subject of why Dumbledore put his utmost trust in him.

Hermione flipped through the book's pages, as if she'd find the answers to her questions written in the margins. When she reached the middle of the book, she stopped when something caught her eye.

There, tucked in between the pages was a color photograph of Harry's mother. Hermione picked it up and immediately turned it over, hoping to find something written on the back of it.

But the back of the Muggle photograph was blank.

_Why does Severus have a picture of Lily Potter? _Hermione asked herself.

The first reason that came to mind was quite extraordinarily farfetched. It ran along the lines of Severus having feelings for the woman of a non-platonic nature. Hermione quickly dismissed the thought almost as soon as it entered her head. But try as she might she couldn't easily come up with an alternative explanation.

Hermione let out a light snort.

_You know that's about as likely as Voldemort turning into a talking rabbit._

_There has to be a reasonable explanation._

_Too bad I won't get an answer out of Severus. I'd love to know why he has this._

Sighing, Hermione replaced the photograph in the book and put the book back in its place on the shelf.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Severus left Bellatrix's room, his mind working through everything he'd seen in Bellatrix's memories.

Bellatrix had a plane ticket to Sydney, Australia, given to her by Narcissa Malfoy for a flight on the coming Wednesday. Narcissa had sent a short letter with the ticket.

It had read:

_Dear Bella,_

_There is something I need to discuss with you. If ever you trusted me, I beg that you put your loyalty to the Dark Lord second to your loyalty for your own sister. Please, come see me in Sydney and I shall tell you why my son and I have fled England. You need to know what I've discovered. And I need your help to execute my plan. If you help me, I guarantee that your place in the Dark Lord's intimate circle will be forever secured. I'll be waiting for you at the airport's front entrance, and I'll expect you to be there._

Just what had Narcissa discovered? What was she planning?

There was an Order Meeting in a week and half. That wasn't soon enough to alert the Order to the latest news so that an investigation could be launched in Australia before Bella arrived in Sydney.

Assuming of course that she would in fact travel to meet her with her sister.

But Severus knew Narcissa now had Bellatrix's full curiosity just as she had his.

Narcisssa obviously thought she knew something that would enable both her and Draco to be placed in Voldemort's highest esteem.

Severus would have loved to be a fly on the wall during the Narcissa's upcoming conversation with Bellatrix.

One thing he did know for sure was that whatever Narcissa Malfoy was planning, it couldn't be anything good. The damn bitch was up to something, scheming to ascend in the rank's of Voldemort's most trusted men and women.

Severus needed to get a full meeting of the Order of the Phoenix scheduled before Bellatrix left for Australia. Aurors could then be dispatched to Sydney to track down the Malfoys before Narcissa divulged her secret to her sister.

Severus would have telephoned Minerva, as it was much too risky for him to use any sort of magical communication, only the old witch didn't have a telephone in her office at Hogwarts. This was one of the occasions when Severus hated the fact that electrical appliances didn't work inside intense magical fields.

He had two options. He could telephone Remus or Kingsley Shacklebolt.

Figuring Remus had enough on his plate right now with Nymphadora pregnant, Severus opted to call Kingsley.

Severus entered his rooms, completely ignoring Hermione who was coming out of the bathroom just as soon as he walked into his bedchamber.

"Is everything all right?" she asked, approaching him as he reached the phone on his desk.

"Yes and no," he clipped out.

"What do you mean?"

But Severus held up a hand to silence her as he was already dialing the phone.

"Hello, Kingsley?"

There was a beat of silence as the Nigerian recognized Severus's voice and and asked what he needed.

"I need you to talk to Minerva for me and set a date for an Order meeting before next Tuesday. I'll explain things at the meeting in full detail, but for now, just know that Bellatrix has been contacted by her sister and Narcissa seems to be planning something that will significantly please Voldemort."

"Call me back at this number once you've scheduled a time with Minerva."

Severus hung up the phone and let out a long exhalation.

Hermione came up to his side.

"You seem a bit tense," she said softly.

"I'm fine." Severus told her tersely.

It irked him that Hermione was always so forward and outspoken. And it irritated him even more that she could accurately pick up on his mood and act as if he were some wounded animal in need of her assistance.

He was seriously beginning to rue the fact that it was Hermione who had to be his captive instead of Ginny Weasley. At least the Weasley girl would have known when to leave him alone.

How was he supposed to get Hermione out of his mind if she didn't give him some space?

Good God, did she not know that after the influence of the Occlumency all she needed to do was get in his line of sight and his mind would involuntarily turn to improper thoughts of her?

So the Occlumency's magic had left his system. That didn't mean that his mind had immediately turned off all sexual thoughts concerning the young woman before him.

He had thought, had hoped, that after his visit to Bellatrix's chambers, his lust for the Gryffindor girl would have been completely extinguished.

But as he gave her a scrutinizing gaze, he found that his desire for her was still there. It was almost as if in some way the Occlumency magic still had a hold on him, though he knew that was impossible.

It was just that after three days of having the mental images induced by the Occlumency's magic fresh in his mind, looking at Hermione automatically turned his thoughts back to all of those images.

If he could just ignore Hermione for a couple of days, perhaps he could get his mind to function normally in her presence once more. She didn't need him now. She had her amulet from Fred and could live in peace.

Severus stared at Hermione's eyes for a second or two longer than was strictly proper.

"I'd appreciate it if you left me alone this evening. I'll be in my second bedroom if you should have some sort of emergency,"

After seeing Bellatrix a long shower was in order, preferably a cold one now that he knew his thoughts concerning Hermione hadn't changed.

"Won't you have something to eat with me? I'd like to know what you learned from Bellatrix."

Severus set his jaw to keep from snapping at her.

"I'm sure you're quite capable of eating alone. I'll speak with you at another time."

At last Hermione took her cue to stay silent on the matter. She gave Severus a little nod and he turned away, leaving her to stare after him.

He could feel her eyes on him as he walked across to the door on the other side of the room. He pulled the door shut behind him, a bit more forceful than necessary and headed into his smaller bathroom to take his shower.

A shower that would be ice cold.

**A/N: **I'm sincerely sorry for the wait! Please don't be too mad at me. The next chapter will be done within a week I promise. Leave me a review, all of your comments are greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Dafina


	23. Chapter 22

**Unlikely Partners**

**Chapter 22**

Severus stepped out of the shower, his thoughts in overdrive about the coming days and weeks. With the discovery of Narcissa's correspondence with Bellatrix, the Order was going to have to step up its offensive action. Under no circumstances could the Order let Narcissa return to Voldemort and succeed in winning his favor. Lives could be lost if they failed in stopping Narcissa from getting back to her lord and master.

But was the Order ready for such action?

Though Severus wasn't exactly a pessimist, he seriously questioned the Order's efficacy at preventing Narcissa from gaining the upper hand.

"Damn," he breathed, his voice less than a whisper.

_If only there was more time._

But the fact of the matter was that there was precious little time to prepare. And no amount of wishing would change the situation.

Severus supposed that if the Order truly put its best effort into the operation, Narcissa would no longer be a threat.

Severus wrapped his towel around his waist and moved to the tall cabinet across from the mahogany queen sized bed. He opened the cabinet's doors and gazed at its contents mounted on brackets in the back wall.

A hunter's crossbow lay against the dark wood. The weapon was crafted out of ebony, and was powerful enough to punch a hole through a sheet of steel.

Severus's eyes drifted to the right of the crossbow where a slim black leather quiver held two expensive crossbow bolts, their ends capped in diamonds. Severus reached into the cabinet and lifted the quiver from its hook. He turned the quiver over and tilted the bolts into the palm of his hand.

They had cost him a good bit of coin, but he'd willing paid the rather exorbitant price. He dropped the quiver on the floor and lifted the deadly arrows to his face, so that he could closely examine their mercilessly sharp ends.

Fired from the crossbow with a true aim, one of the short silver arrows would end a life. And Severus was quite adept at shooting when he needed to be.

Though technically only a single diamond tipped bolt was needed to kill the phoenix Fawkes, Severus was taking no chances. He'd ordered a pair of bolts just in case when using the crossbow on its intended target the first shot went wide.

Not that he thought that was likely, but Severus was a man who made a point to always be prepared.

For lack of preparation could easily prove fatal. And Severus Snape had no intention of losing his life for lack of judgement.

The Order had no idea that he had the crossbow.

They all thought that he was going to bet their lives on his experimental power weakening potion and young Potter's ability to throw a good Avada Kedavra.

Severus snorted derisively.

He'd do _nothing_ of the sort.

The truth was, Severus knew potions weren't going to be the key to Voldemort's downfall. And yes, he'd lied to the Order and Hermione about his efforts in preparing a potion that would weaken Voldemort.

He'd lied about all the work he'd done in developing the formula for the potion. The ingredient information pages he'd written were something required of every potions master in Britain prior to the last examination to gain a master status.

It wasn't the most honorable thing he'd ever done, but then Severus wasn't exactly known for his outstanding moral scruples.

And he hadn't done it without having his reasons.

There were too many factors that could and would stand against him if he divulged the entire truth.

It wasn't productive to have the Order in an uproar about his proposed plan, the _only_ plan, in his opinion that would guarantee the end of Voldemort's reign.

He had lied to maintain peace within the Order. He could not afford for the Order to stand against him. Right now they suspected nothing out of the ordinary and Severus fully intended for things to stay that way.

Remus and Minerva thought they'd found something useful in the ancient Roman text on how to indirectly destroy a Horcrux. Severus knew that for the potion Remus had read about to be effective, the potion had to be made within hours of the Horcrux being destroyed.

Severus wasn't sure why that specific fact hadn't been mentioned in the text Remus had been reading. Perhaps what had been considered common knowledge in wizarding Rome was considerably different than what it was in modern wizarding Britain. Certainly, certain written information could have been lost over the centuries. Severus had only known about this fact because Albus had imparted it to him before he died. Where the headmaster had learned of it, Severus could only guess.

Albus had told him many things before that fateful night at the Astronomy Tower. And Severus didn't have to be told twice about the merits of keeping certain information a secret to prevent certain Order members from going at his throat.

Their trust in him was shaky enough as it was. The last thing he needed was to rock that boat hard enough to make it capsize on him.

He could only imagine Minerva's reaction if he told her that Fawkes had to die to make Voldemort mortal. She believed in Harry. She had the utmost faith in the boy. She would _never_ concede to Severus forcing Harry to live without magic.

Hell, forget about Harry, she'd never give her blessing to Severus going out to kill Albus's beloved familiar. He knew she'd try to stop him, forcibly if she had to.

Mad-Eye would certainly be more than happy to help her.

But regardless of all the arguments against Severus's plan to kill Fawkes, Severus was firm in his opinion that it was the only way that Britain could be saved from Voldmemort's brutality.

And if the Order knew what he'd been doing to search out the magical bird's location all of its members including Remus and Nymphadora would immediately lose what little trust they had in him.

After all, performing the dark form of scrying with the intent to kill an innocent was a crime with only one punishment: a Dementor's kiss and solitary confinement in Azkaban. For this dark magic was considered by all to be one of the most evil.

In invoking this kind of dark scrying spell, not only was the blood of the caster required, but also the lifeblood of an innocent.

Severus had peformed the spell half a dozen times already before Hermione had come to him and each time he'd performed the ritual he'd killed a rabbit he'd trapped in the surrounding forest.

Rabbits were the most intelligent animal he had easy access to, and for the spell to work the blood of a mammal was required.

There was something painfully ironic about needing to kill a rabbit for the scrying spell.

_Lily._

_I do this all for you._

Severus moved his hand up the arrow shafts and ran his fingers over the blood red fletching. The crossbow bolts had been made by a master craftsman as was to be expected for their price. Everything about them was perfect. They had exquisitely balanced shafts, there weight substantial in Severus's fist.

Sighing, Severus returned the bolts to the quiver and replaced the quiver at the back of the mahogany cabinet.

Severus had last performed a dark scrying spell exactly a week ago. He turned his left hand over and gazed at the heel of his palm.In the flesh was a white scar healed by magic in the shape of an upside down V. He ran his thumb over the mark, feeling the slight ridge left by the scar tissue.

He had tried six times to locate Fawkes, and six times he'd failed to see the magical creature in the blood inside the onyx bowl he used for his dark spells.

It wasn't that the spells weren't working, he had seen blue sky and clouds and what appeared to be some kind of mountain meadow. But he had no idea what he was looking at, or where exactly that mountain meadow was. Every time he'd tried the spell, he'd seen the same setting.

The only thing he knew for sure was that since it was broad daylight in the scene, Fawkes was somewhere across the world where the sun was up when it was dark in England.

But given the size of the Earth, that was a startlingly broad area to search through.

It could have been Japan, China, Fiji, Papua New Guinea.

Australia, New Zealand.

That scene really didn't give Severus anything to go on.

The strangest thing of all was that each time Severus performed the spell the scene stayed the same. Wouldn't the phoenix be moving around even if it had somehow managed to turn itself invisible to magical spying? Severus was even skeptical that it had done that much.

Unless Fawkes was using magic to evade him because the bird knew that he was searching it out to kill it.

Somehow Severus didn't think that was a very likely possibility.

Severus had entertainedthe idea of going to Remus and forcing the werewolf to help him in his task to find Fawkes. But the idea of blackmail didn't sit right with him.

Remus would hate him for it and Severus preferred not to incurthe werewolf's anger. Besides he didn't want to be that cold and callous.

It was a damn shame that the other Order members were much too narrow minded to jump off the We're-Trusting-Harry-To-The-End bandwagon. Trying to change their minds on that particular subject would be like trying to move an elephant into a box.

They just could not see that the boy was not the answer to destroying Voldemort. They all deeply believed that he was the only one who had a hope of making Voldemort mortal and finishing him off.

_How can they be so blind?_

Severus thought he could guess the answer to that question.

_They don't realise the depth of Voldemort's power. They don't realise how much more powerful he is now than he was the first time he rose to power._

Severus wished he knew how much time was left before Voldemort grew strong enough to go out in the sunlight. He'd replenished his collection of Horcruxes weeks ago. Severus doubted that it would take much longer than a month for Voldemort to become powerful enough to kill Harry.

There was no time to properly train Potter so that there was even a remote chance that he would survive a duel with the Dark Lord. And if the Order was going to survive they needed to place their lives on more than just a remote chance.

Severus had tried a time or two to get the Order to listen to his warnings. None of them had given his words a second thought, Minerva especially.

She seemed to resolutely believe that Harry had no chance of failure.

Severus's lip curled in aggravateddisgust, her words to him during their last conversation burning in his mind, _Harry will do what needs to be done._

To hell with Harry.

If it was left up to the boy to decide the future of wizarding Britain, Voldemort would most assuredly win.

_None of them understand the nature of the prophecy._

_Albus was the only one who believed the truth._

_Would they turn on me if I told them what really happened on the night the prophecy was made?_

_They probably would._

_People tend to fear what they don't understand and cannot control._

Severus exhaled slowly, running his hand through his wet hair. He then looked back down to the scar on his hand.

_I'll find the phoenix. No matter the price, I will find the phoenix and I will end its life._

_It is the only way._

Severus was brought out of his thoughts by a soft noise at the chamber door.

He went perfectly still, listening hard for another sound.

"_Snape?_"

Hermione's voice. It sounded rather uneasy.

_Fucking hell._

Severus immediately wondered if her amulet had lost its magic.

Not caring that he was only wearing a towel, Severus went to the door and opened it.

"Your amulet . . ." he said without preamble, letting the words hang in the air.

He tried to avoid looking into her eyes by staring at a spot just above her eyebrows.

He noticed that Hermione seemed to have stopped breathing at the sight of him wearing his towel.

As if she were unable to speak, Hermione slowly shook her head.

"I told you not to disturb me unless it was an emergency." he told her.

Hermione swallowed.

"Why are you here, Miss Granger?" he asked in a soft, menacing tone.

"I . . . I came to ask if you had a dreamless sleep potion on hand for me to take, _sir_."

"I don't."

Hermione visibly paled.

"Oh. Right. Forgive for bothering you. I'll go now."

"Wait."

Hermione shut her eyes as if she were afraid he might physically strike her.

"Yes, sir?" she asked hesitantly.

"Tell me why you wanted the potion."

Hermione opened her eyes and chanced a glance at his face. She then quickly looked at the floor.

"I think that is better left unsaid."

"Something is clearly upsetting you."

"I'm fine."

"Do not lie to me Hermione."

She actually flinched at the sound of her name coming from his lips.

"Please, just let it go. Forget I came to you."

"No. Tell me what brought you here."

He watched Hermione take in a deep breath and then breathe it out silently. Gathering her resolve, she slowly raised her head to look at him. There was a perfectly miserable expression in her eyes.

"_You." _she told him, her voice a ragged whisper. "You're the reason I wanted that potion. I can't seem to

get you out of my head."

**A/N: **Next chapter up within seven days. If I get a lot of reviews I might even give you a nice ripe lemon in the next chapter. Hmm, what will happen? And come on, you gotta let me know what you thought of Severus's little secret. Can't wait to read your opinions on this one.


	24. Chapter 23

**Unlikely Partners**

**Chapter 23**

Severus had no time to reply for almost as soon as the words had escaped Hermione's lips, the telephone began to ring.

Severus quickly pushed past her and moved swiftly to answer it.

As Severus had expected, it was Kingsley Shacklebolt.

After talking with the rest of the Order members, Minerva had set the meeting date for Saturday, the day after Bill's wedding.

Severus would have liked for it to have been scheduled sooner, but the entire Weasley family was busy preparing for the big event at the end of the week and Minerva obviously hadn't felt that it was necessary to force the Weasleys to make time for an emergency meeting before the wedding.

Though Severus had said the meeting needed to be set before Tuesday, and as Saturday was well within that time frame, he really couldn't fault Minerva for making the meeting be on Saturday.

Severus replaced the telephone on its cradle and turned around to find Hermione staring at him with a worried look.

Even in distress, her eyes held a power that inflamed his baser instincts.

He remembered the taste of her mouth, the feel of the soft skin of her neck against his lips, and exactly how her body had felt held in place against him.

And as he stared at her, he knew he wanted more of her.

Much more.

He wanted to feel her beneath him as he drove himself into her body. He wanted to feel the delicious friction of his body thrusting against hers. He wanted to hear her cries of pleasure as he stroked her core until she came for him, his name a desperate shout on her lips.

In that moment, his desire for her burned more fiercely than it had during any of the Occlumency lessons. He could already feel his body reacting to the raw fire coursing through his veins.

Hermione took a step toward him, her eyes never leaving his.

If she didn't get away from him in the next few seconds, he would be unable to hold himself back.

But the look in her eyes had changed, it was no longer one of distress.

It was one of intense determination, one of a predator intent on its prey. Hermione came another step closer.

And as the distance between them closed, Severus could keep his lust restrained no longer.

He was on her in an instant, his mouth covering hers in a firm and insistent kiss. Hermione responded instantly, returning his kiss with double the intensity and desperation.

Severus nudged Hermione backwards slowly with his body, pushing her towards the king sized bed behind her. She stepped backwards while sliding her tongue against his in pure hot desire.

Severus made a sound low in his throat and continued to push her backwards. He brought his hands to her waist and pulled her top up, exposing the skin of her stomach and then the pale peach lace of her bra. He raised the garment over her breasts and she helped him remove it from her body before returning her lips to his in a long burning kiss.

Hermione's jeans quickly joined her top on the floor, she and Severus stopping momentarily in their journey to the bed so that Hermione could step out of her clothing and deftly kick it aside.

Standing before him in bra and underwear, Hermione brought Severus's hands to her stomach and then to the clasp at the front of her bra, all the while kissing him with an all consuming hunger.

Severus laughed into her mouth and ran his palms up over the swell of her breasts, the pads of his thumbs finding the peaks of her nipples beneath the fabric of her bra. He ran his thumbs back and forth, his masterful touch teasing the sensitive skin.

He felt her nipples harden and Hermione let out a low sound. They were almost at the bed.

Severus moved his hands to Hermione's sides and guided her to the edge of the mattress. Then, he eased her onto her back with the weight of his body.

Hermione gave a sharp tug on the towel around Severus's hips causing the material to fall away to the floor. She took in the sight of him and offered Severus a darkly alluring smile.

Severus moved on top of her and brought his lips to her throat, raking his teeth across her satiny smooth skin. Hermione's hands came up to fist in Severus's ebony locks, holding his head to her body.

Straddling her hips, Severus leaned down, his questing lips trailing a path from her throat to her shoulder. He placed an open mouthed kiss at the juncture of her neck and shoulder just next to the gold chain of her amulet, his tongue circling her skin.

Severus's hot erection pressed firmly against her abdomen. Hermione moved her right hand from his hair and brought it down to reach between them. She brushed her fingers along the length of his hardened shaft and he let out a dark laugh against her skin.

"Minx," he said in a husky tone of arousal.

Hermione laughed low in her throat and tightened her grip on him, causing Severus to let out a shuddering breath.

"I want to feel you inside of me," Hermione breathed, raising her hips to rub her lower body where her hand was stroking him. "_Now."_

Severus moved his face further down her body, placing a lustful kiss between her breasts, his tongue darting out to moisten her skin as he moved down to the front of her bra.

Hermione watched his every movement with aroused anticipation.

Severus placed his mouth over the clasp of her bra, and using his teeth he undid the clasp in a matter of seconds.

Hermione removed her hands from his body so that she could take her arms out of the bra and throw it to the side of the bed. Severus immediately brought his mouth down to cover the nipple of her right breast, his hot breath teasing the dark pink flesh.

Hermione gasped and Severus let out a masculine sound of satisfaction. He closed his lips around the taught circle and gently, very gently, tugged at it with his teeth.

Hermione hissed in pleasure. She spread her legs and clamped her thighs around his hips. With both hands she held his head to her chest, taking in a deep breath and letting it out in an uneven sigh of ecstacy.

Her nails raking his scalp, Severus moved his hands to her hips, his tongue swirling over her breast.

Hermione was dimly aware of the sound of ripping fabric. In an instant her lower body was free of the confining material of her panties.

And then . . .

Hermione sucked in a sharp breath as Severus spread the folds of her body and slid one long finger inside of her. She immediately felt an outpour of wetness rush between her legs. Her body throbbed against him.

She heard Severus let out a deep laugh against her breast just before he moved another finger to join the first.

Hermione leaned her head back against the pillows, arching off the mattress slightly at the combined pleasure of Severus's mouth and hand.

Severus moved his fingers a little and found Hermione's sensitive pleasure spot. He rubbed and teased the flesh slowly and deliberately and began to move his mouth to her left breast.

He placed a kiss over her left nipple and moved his middle finger against her core.

Hermione couldn't think straight. Sparks of pleasure ripped through her body and she let out a wordless exclamation.

"_Severus_, _I need to have you, all of you. Please, I don't want to wait any longer."_

"Good things come to those who wait," Severus told her in a voice that was definitely not his normal silky baritone. His voice was thick, lust filled and the sound of it alone was nearly enough to make Hermione shudder with arousal.

"But you're–

"Just a bit longer," said Severus, moving his lips down to her rib cage and over to her stomach.

"I can't bear it, Severus!"

Severus actually smirked against her skin.

"You have my sincerest apologies, but I'm afraid you'll have to wait a little more,"

He proceeded to trail his kisses past her navel.

"Severus!" Hermione exclaimed, tensing her muscles and writhing beneath him.

Severus brought his lips lower still, brushing kisses over the dark triangle of hair between Hermione's legs.

"You're . . . _wicked!" _she squealed.

"But of course, my dear. I've never claimed to be anything different," he said with dark amusement.

He then moved his mouth between her legs and withdrew his hand from her body. His lips then found the spot his fingers had been.

"_Ah...you ...evil ...rogue," _Hermione exclaimed, her emphasis tripling with each word.

Severus thrust his tongue deep inside of her. Hermione's hips lifted off the mattress as sheer unadulterated pleasure tore through her.Severus's tongue stroked her mercilessly until Hermione cried out, almost driven senseless.

Severus then raised his head and moved up her body, positioning himself above her. He leaned down, claiming her lips in a scorching kiss. Hermione tasted herself on his mouth and let out a feral sound.

Severus covered her body with his, letting his weight rest on her hips.

Hermione maneuvered beneath him until her lower body was touching the part of him she needed most. She pressed her body against his, beginning to take him inside of her.

Her hands came up to splay against Severus's muscular shoulder blades. Then Hermione pushed her breasts against the hard planes of his chest.

"Now. . . _please_," she said into his ear.

Seconds later, Severus entered her completely and Hermione let out a low laugh of satisfaction.

Severus stilled, letting Hermione adjust to his width. After a short period of time, Hermione tightened her walls around him. Severus tensed at her action, letting out an uneven exhalation.

"_Severus,"_ Hermione said breathlessly.

Supporting himself on his hands on either side of her head, Severus began to slowly move against her. He lowered his mouth and gave Hermione a hard kiss, this one more forceful than any of those preceding it.

Hermione didn't mind the roughness of his mouth on hers in the least. His whiskers scraped against the sensitive skin around her lips and she released an exclamation of encouragement.

Severus began to pick up a faster rhythm and Hermione started kneading the flesh of his back with bruising intensity.

Hermione kissed Severus for all she was worth, moving with him in time to his powerful thrusts into her lower body. She could feel his toned muscles flexing beneath her hands as his body moved inside of her.

She was nearly delirious with pleasure. She could smell his sweat on his skin and the scent was incredibly intoxicating.

Severus brought Hermione to the edge, his thrusts coming ever faster, harder, deeper. Hermione was lost in Severus, never imagining that sex could bring such sweet ecstacy.

Never in her wildest dreams had she once entertained the idea that she'd experience anything even remotely like what she experiencing right now.

Hermione cried out wordlessly just as Severus came inside of her.

Severus ran his lips slowly over Hermione's, while the tremors shot through his body and he emptied himself deep inside her.

He raised his head, taking a deep breath and forcing it out slowly. Hermione raised a shaky hand and brushed his hair behind his ear. She too was out of breath.

Then Severus withdrew from her and rolled onto his back. Hermione turned towards him on her side.

And then her hand flew to the crystal around her neck.

It had lost all of its warmth.

Hermione's breath hitched as she realized what must have happened. The amulet's magic must have ceased to exist the minute she'd given her body to Severus.

_Well what did you expect? _Hermione asked herself sarcastically.

She noticed that Severus was looking at her questioningly.

"It's useless now," she said quietly.

For several seconds Severus didn't reply.

"Weasley's passion can no longer protect you now that you are unable to reciprocate it."

Hermione didn't say anything. Severus observed that there was a slight blush on her cheeks.

God, he'd thought that bedding her would finally get his lust for her out of his system. Instead he found that it had pretty much done the exact opposite.

Just the sight of her naked in his bed made him want to take her again.

"Perhaps I can succeed in finishing the Occlumency lesson now," she muttered. "It shouldn't be as unbearable now, should it? Maybe the induced attraction will even go away completely,"

"It may also be that Voldemort's power is too strong for you to ignore, even with a sufficient amount of training. Which in that case trying to finish the Occlumency lesson would be of no benefit to you at all."

Hermione looked at him.

"But you told me that you were virtually certain that the Occlumency would let me get Voldemort off my mind."

"When I said that to you, I could think of no alternative."

"But then you thought of the amulet,"

"Only after the Occlumency proved not to be an immediate solution,"

"The first night I was here, you did that Chinese relaxation thing with me and that enabled me to relax,"

"No, Hermione. That night you were drugged. It was the pain blocking potion that enabled you to calm down, the relaxation technique was just something to take your mind off of your distress while the potion took effect."

"Oh."

"Here," said Severus, placing his left hand around the crystal. He held the amulet for about ten seconds and when he finally released it, the crystal now had the same fiery glow it had had when Hermione received it from Fred.

"Thank you," Hermione said softly.

Severus was silent for a long time.

"Severus? Is something wrong?"

"Hermione . . . I take it that you still wish to know why Albus trusted me?"

Hermione stilled, astonished that Severus was making a move to open himself up to her about his past.

She hardly knew what to say.

"If you are willing to share the reason, I'm willing to listen,"

"Then you shall hear the answers to the questions that have been on your mind. Just promise me that you won't breathe a word of what I say to anyone. The Order members are aware of some of the truth, but I believe you need to hear certain information beyond what they have been told."

"I won't betray your confidence," Hermione told him seriously.

Severus didn't immediately speak, as if he was gathering his thoughts searching for the proper place to begin his explanation.

"I suppose I'd better start at the beginning," he told her.

**A/N: **Well, would you look at that? Answers are finally coming! Don't you dare be silent! I really want to hear from all my readers!


	25. Chapter 24

**Unlikely Partners**

**Chapter 24**

Hermione, having nestled into a comfortable position beneath the covers, waited while Severus pulled the sheets up to his hips and breathed what sounded to her very much like a pain filled sigh.

She waited for him to speak, her gaze encouraging and sincere.

Severus turned his head to look at her, and for one fleeting moment Hermione thought he might take back what he'd just said and launch into another display of resistance, just as he had the other night after he'd kissed her for the first time.

His stare was penetrating and calculating. Hermione involuntarily tensed at the force of his gaze.

She was nearly certain that Severus was about to throw the iron barriers back into place and retreat into himself, permanently shutting her out of his most private memories.

And Hermione knew without any question that if Severus refused to tell her what happened now, she'd never hear the truth of why Albus trusted him. This was her one and only chance.

Then, finally, Severus spoke.

"There's so much you don't know, and can't even begin to imagine,"

Privately, Hermione thought that maybe she could imagine, if the evidence of Severus's ...friendship?...with Lily was anything to go by, but she knew better than to let it slip that she'd discovered the book and picture Lily had given him.

"I am sure Potter has told you that I was the one who delivered Trewlaney's prophecy to Voldemort," Severus stated with confidence.

"How do you know"– Hermione began.

"I knew that Albus showed Potter his memories. And it wasn't much of a stretch to surmise that Potter shared with you the details of what he'd seen, or rather, _thought_ he'd seen,"

At this, Hermione couldn't prevent a look of surprise and puzzlement from crossing her features.

"I'm afraid that part of my story must wait for now. First, I need to let you know how I came to be a spy for the Order. You see, . . ."

Severus stopped and stared at Hermione again, considering her, as if he were wondering if she'd truly believe what he was about to tell her.

"Please, you can tell me, Severus," Hermione said softly.

"When I was seventeen, I joined the Death Eaters at Albus Dumbledore's behest," Severus told her slowly.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked quickly. "The way you said that, it sounds as if Dumbledore actually _wanted_ you to join Voldemort's forces."

"Yes. That is exactly how it sounds, for that was exactly how it was."

"I don't understand at all, why on earth would Dumbledore"–

"The man desperately needed a spy, Hermione."

"Are you saying he just ordered you to become a servant of Voldemort?" Hermione asked quickly.

"No. Though he was careful to present his request in such a way that I hardly could refuse."

Hermione began to say something but Severus went ahead and asked her a question, silencing her.

"Certainly you've read histories of Muggle warfare have you not?"

"Yes, of course I have, what does that have to do with this?"

"Generals do not just sit about and wait for a soldier from the other side to desert and join their army as a spy. After all, there's always a question of their loyalty, even in the most convincing circumstances. So, generals recruit spies of their own choosing to go across enemy lines and report back with inside information."

"Spies of their own choosing," Hermione repeated, "Dumbledore actually chose you to take the mark so that you could be his spy right from the get-go?"

"Do you really think that I would have sworn any sort of allegiance to such a depraved abomination as Voldemort otherwise?"

"No, I don't suppose you're the sort to willingly let another man rule over you," Hermione told him and then too late realized her mistake before she could take back her words.

For that was, in a very real sense, exactly what he had done with Dumbledore.

Severus was silent.

"Oh God Severus, I . . . I didn't think. Please, I'm sorry,"

"Do not apologise to me, Hermione."

"So Albus trusted you because you had been his spy all along," Hermione told him.

"That wasn't the entire reason,"

"But was that not reason enough?"

"You know nothing of the Dark Mark's mechanics, do you?" Severus asked her. His tone was calm and held no trace of its usual derisive venom.

"Well, it's not exactly something that's published in a book,"

"No, that it certainly isn't. Let me enlighten you then. The instant my skin was magically branded with the skull and serpent symbol, a part of my soul was destroyed, _consumed_ forever with no hopes of ever regaining what I'd lost. Ordinarily that would inevitably kill anyone who could not withstand the Mark's power. The only reason I did not die in the days following my Marking Ceremony is that I had some inherent propensity to embrace the Dark Arts. Albus knew of this and it was his reason for choosing me to become his spy."

"He chose you because you knew you'd survive the Ceremony. I can still scarcely believe that Dumbledore would put something like that on the shoulders of a seventeen year old boy."

"Albus was a man with many sides. Trust me when I tell you that what you knew of him was only a part of his overall character. Also, he had an even greater reason to recruit me as his spy, something that went well past any selfish designs he may or may not have had."

"What?" Hermione asked.

"He felt he could not afford to allow me to pledge myself to the Dark Arts of my own accord. So in securing my position as his right hand man, he ensured that I turned my back on any devotion I had to Dark Magic before he approached me. Thus, he prevented me from losing my humanity entirely and becoming something not altogether dissimilar to Voldemort himself. As I just told you, in order to be able to live with the Dark Mark, a person must have a sort of spark of darkness within them. Before Albus recruited me, that spark inside of me was brighter and stronger than in most wizards and witches who pledged themselves as Voldemort's truest servants."

There was a stretch of silence, where the only sound that could be heard was the ticking of the clock on the wall over the desk.

"Is this why you never told me this earlier?" Hermione asked, breaking the silence. "Did you think I'd be afraid of you?"

Severus did not immediately answer.

"Please, answer my question."

"Do you deny that during those first few minutes after I showed up at Remus's you felt ill at ease in my presence?" Severus asked her.

"No, Severus, I do not deny it. But bear in mind that was well before I had proof of your true intentions."

"One might think Hermione that hearing these secrets of mine might bring back that initial feeling of being ill at ease in my presence and magnify it tenfold."

"Yes, one _might_ think that. But as you made a point to tell me, you shouldn't make assumptions unless you have substantial proof that they are true. Look at me, Severus."

Severus returned his gaze to Hermione's eyes.

"I am not afraid of you. After everything you've done for me, I could never be afraid of you,"

"Never, Hermione? To make such a statement without fully understanding what you are talking about is certainly utter foolishness,"

"I understand enough to know that despite what others might think of you, you are an honourable man."

At this Severus let out a quick laugh, mirthless and hollow in its sound.

"Honourable? No, I rather think that you're seriously mistaken. An honourable man would never bed a former student with no more than ten months past since she came of age. Or if he did, he would at the very least experience feelings of shame and deep regret. I have absolutely no remorse for what I did. No feelings even remotely close to guilt whatsoever. I am not an honourable man,"

"Then why did you push me away before?"

"Two reasons. I wanted to be sure that you never developed some kind of true attachment to me and I knew if I were to allow you to feel comfortable around me you'd persist in your pursuit of answers about my past. Determined as you always are, you were sure to continue to ask your questions. The last thing I wanted was for you to find out the truth before the Occlumency lesson could be completed. If you had feared me, we would have been unable to proceed with the last part of the lesson."

"You really thought I'd fear you?"

"Upon hearing what you've heard, there are some women who would,"

"I suppose that's true, but didn't you think I might be different?"

"I didn't want to take that chance,"

"And what about me developing some kind of attachment to you now? Why is this any different than what you so pointedly avoided the other day?"

"I'm telling you now not to develop any sort of lasting attachment to me. You would do well to heed that suggestion,"

Hermione sighed.

"You impossible man," she muttered under her breath.

"I assume you'd like to hear more of my explanation?"

"Yes, go on,"

"Albus had to find a way to make sure I never opened myself to evil and turned on him. So, he did something to prevent me from betraying him."

"What did he do?" Hermione asked quietly.

"He bonded the part of my soul I still retained with the soul of Lily Evans,"

"Harry's mother,"

"Yes. This was well before she married James,"

Hermione noticed that Severus spoke the word "James" with more than a subtle hint of vehemence.

"The Bonding ensured my loyalty to Albus. Lily was what Albus called my focus, . . . a powerful force to keep that small part of humanity left in my soul alive. The Bonding accomplished everything Albus had wanted it to. Lily became my closest confidante. But after less than six months, a complication from the Bonding spell arose that neither one of us had expected."

"Albus assured me that there would be no adverse effects. I asked him how the spell would work, given that Lily and I at the time were hardly friendly acquaintances. I had my misgivings, but of course, I was given little choice in the matter. You do know what I'm getting at, I presume?"

"Soul Bonding is a sacred magic. I've never heard of it ever being done between two individuals who did not love each other. I suppose, if the Bonded couple had no romantic feelings for each other at the time of the actual casting of the spell, the magic of the Bonding would soon change their feelings shortly thereafter, . . . Dear God. Surely Dumbledore knew this?"

"He certainly made no mention of it. But he had to have known. The truth is, Albus Dumbledore was not without his faults, though certain individuals might say otherwise. He was a great man, to be sure, but he was no less imperfect than other men,"

"I'm sure you can imagine what happened between Lily and me in the months following our Bonding."

"She fell in love with you,"

For once Severus did not let out a snort of disdain.

"Yes, she did." Severus said quietly, and then dropping his voice down so that Hermione barely heard him he said, "And I with her."

"The Bond between you two was great enough to transcend the dark magic of the Mark."

"Yes. But even so, we tried to fight it."

"How did Lily end up marrying Harry's father?"

"She was afraid that if she pledged her heart to me, I'd be in danger of Voldemort discovering that I was not a true Death Eater, that somehow he'd use Legilimency to discover my feelings for her and learn that I had never been loyal. She thought the only way to prevent that from happening was to completely avoid any non platonic relationship with me. She married James Potter so that she could try to get past her feelings for me."

"I'm sorry,"

"Don't be. I have no need of your sympathy. Lily thought that she'd be able to move on. She didn't know that once she had irrevocably bonded her soul to me, she would never be able to truly love another man. She made a great show of going through the motions of marriage with James, I think in the beginning he wholeheartedly believed that she loved him. But then when Lily and I were nearly twenty two, our platonic relationship ended. Though she pretended not to be, she was miserable living with James. She couldn't stand it any longer."

"For six months, I had a sexual relationship with her. It ended the night the arrogant sod Sirius Black caught us in a compromising situation. Lily begged him not to tell James."

"But of course, he did."

"Of course. To say the least, James Potter was beyond furious."

"I can only imagine. To find out that he'd been cuckolded by the one person he'd hated the most at school, I'm sure he threatened to kill you,"

"That was the very least of my concerns. I was much more intent on murdering Black for telling James,"

"Oh dear,"

"Lily found out she was pregnant with James's child a week later. It was the only reason he didn't divorce her. Though he made her promise that she'd never see me alone again. She didn't tell him about the Bond between us. I'm sure she thought that James wouldn't be able to handle it and he'd throw her out, even if she was pregnant. And she couldn't bring herself to come to me and ask me to help her raise James's baby. So for over a year and a half we were apart."

"What happened then?"

"Pettigrew joined Voldemort and the Trewlaney made her prophecy."

Hermione raised a brow slightly as she heard the sound of Severus's voice change subtly with the words "her prophecy". It sounded as if there was something like derision in his voice. But then, there was a note of derision in Severus's voice a good bit of the time. Hermione ignored it and listened closely to what Severus said next.

"I went to the Potter's to warn them that Pettigrew had betrayed them and that Voldemort desired to kill Harry in the immediate future. James accused me of lying. Said that I was trying to deceive them and lead them to their deaths at the hands of my fellow Death Eaters. After all, they were top Aurors and Voldemort would have good reason to want them dead. The son of a bitch said that I wanted to kill Lily for breaking off our affair. That I couldn't handle the rejection so plotted her demise in the year following the last day I'd seen her. I often look back on my actions that night. Do you know what I should have done differently, Hermione?"

"What should you have done?"

"I should have killed James Potter right then and there. I'm sure Lily would still be alive today if I had."

"Severus!"

"What? Is there something ignoble about committing a single murder to save the life of the woman I loved?"

"No, . . . but . . . never mind, carry on."

"I demanded to speak to Lily, but James wouldn't hear of it. I then went find Albus, but that night he'd had a meeting at the Ministry. I had to go and pull him out of that meeting and implore him to go force James to heed my warning. He had heard about what had happened between Lily and me, no doubt from James himself. Albus left straight away to persuade James to heed my warning as soon as I told him James wouldn't listen to me. But before Albus arrived at Godric's Hollow, Voldemort killed James and Lily."

"And that's when Dumbledore took Harry to his Lily's sister," Hermione whispered.

"The second she died, . . . it felt as if I'd been hit with the Cruciatus Curse. A Soul Bond is not bent to be broken involuntarily. In the days following Lily's death, I experienced indescribable agony, pain so bad I could barely breathe. Every nerve in my body was firing in nearly constant protest. Albus stayed with me for the better part of two months and helped me to get through effects of having my Bond with Lily severed. You recall that I told you I had a headache after the Occlumency lesson because I was different from other Legilimens. I got the excruciating headache because even now, I haven't fully recovered from the loss of the bond I shared with Lily. For the past sixteen years, I've had frequent headaches, worse than migraines. I gather that I'll have them for the rest of my life. I suppose it's my price to pay for not trying harder to make Lily leave with me when James refused to let me in,"

"You had no way of knowing Voldemort would attack the Potters that very night,"

"No, but I knew it was going to be soon,"

"So Dumbledore trusted you when he sent you back to Voldemort at the end of my fourth year because he knew you desired vengeance for Lily's death."

"Quite right. This made Albus trust me as much as he'd trust himself. He knew there was no possibility I'd betray him and willingly serve the man who'd murdered Lily. He knew I would have sooner ended my life with my own hand."

"How much of this story do the Order members know?" Hermione asked.

"Everything I've just told you minus the part about my headaches,"

"Severus?"

"Hm?"

"There's more to your story, isn't there?"

"Yes, there is more," said Severus steadily.

"Could you go back to the part about the memory that Dumbledore showed Harry?"

"I suppose when I said you shouldn't breathe a word of this to anyone, you expected more secret information than that I regularly get excruciating headaches?"

"Well, . . . yes. But also you seemed to say that Harry was wrong in thinking that you delivered the prophecy to Voldemort."

"I'm sure Potter was quite convinced I did exactly that,"

"So if you weren't the one who delivered the prophecy, who was it that did deliver it to Voldemort?"

Severus sighed heavily.

"You're getting ahead of yourself. Before you ask questions, listen to my explanation of what truly happened."

**A/N: **Severus's explanation Part 2 coming soon! Please review.


	26. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

"The night that Sibyl Trewlaney gave her prophecy to Dumbledore, Voldemort communicated with a certain dark entity."

"A ghost?" Hermione asked.

"No, not a ghost. As you already know, it is an accepted truth that particularly dark magic is performed through making requests of sentient evil powers,"

"Yes, I always thought that they were something like spirits of people who had been irredeemably evil in their lifetime,"

"I rather think that is an inaccurate description of them. First of all, they aren't and never were, human. The vast majority of them, who help work the simpler of the dark spells are demons. Most of them can take human form though as incubi and succubi. But what came to Voldemort that night was no mere demon. I am not a religious man by any stretch of the word, yet I can't describe the being Voldemort made a bargain with that night without saying the man was very similar to the creature many call Lucifer. I suppose, if you believe in Hell that being might have been Lucifer himself."

"Voldemort made a bargain with this being?" Hermione asked, more than a little uneasily.

"Unfortunately, yes, he did."

"I'm not sure I want to know what this bargain entailed." Hermione said slowly, with a note of trepidation in her voice.

Severus stopped and regarded Hermione solemnly.

"If you wish to me to go no further, you need only to tell me,"

"How bad is it?" Hermione asked him.

"Would my answer change your decision?"

Hermione took in a deep breath and let it out.

"No. But, . . . please tell me. I want to know."

"The bargain between Voldemort and this dark being resulted in Trewlaney's prophecy being utterly false,"

"What do you mean by false?"

"Perhaps I was wrong in thinking that you should be told of this. Before I continue, you must be entirely certain that you're ready to hear the rest of what I have to say,"

"I know I won't like it, Severus. But that doesn't mean that I won't be able to handle the truth. It is the truth, after all, right?" Hermione asked, her eyes searching his, seeking the living remains of his soul buried behind the iron walls surrounding his heart.

"Yes. Yes, it is the truth."

"I need to know, Severus. Tell me everything,"

"Very well then," Severus said with a note of finality. "The bargain was this: Voldemort would attempt to kill Harry and willingly have the killing curse rebound back on him. Harry would live with his scar and would be marked as the The Chosen One. Voldemort would be reduced to something not quite living and not quite dead. The sole purpose of the prophecy was for Harry to gain the unwavering trust and faith that nearly all who know him give him now. The truth, is that Voldemort has been planning the final battle for these past sixteen years. Voldemort agreed to let Harry grow into a hero in the wizarding world's eyes, because in reality, the prophecy was a fake.

"You see Hermione, it was the dark entity who designed the prophecy and made Sibyl Trewlaney recite the exact words that would lead the world to believe that a mere child would have the strength to singlehandedly defeat Voldemort. In actuality, the opposite is true. The reality is that whatever dark entity Voldemort was in contact with made it so that a duel with Harry is the one way that will ensure a complete victory for Voldemort."

"What would happen if Harry fought with Voldemort now?"

"He'd lose and he would die."

"So, . . . this supremely evil being created the prophecy. And Voldemort knew about the prophecy before Trewlaney delivered it to Dumbledore."

"Yes. Voldemort knew Harry was going to temporarily defeat him,"

"Let me see if I understand this correctly. You're saying that Harry is not the Chosen One. Voldemort purposefully let the world see him as a great hero because he knew when the time came to face him in the final battle, he would be more powerful than Harry and easily destroy him."

"Yes, but there's more to it than that, Hermione."

"I don't understand why Voldemort would let himself be weakened. That certainly doesn't make any sense for his character. And if it's true that Harry doesn't have the power of the prophecy behind him, why would he be so hellbent on killing him?"

Severus rolled onto his side so that he was facing Hermione.

"It was Voldemort's intention for as many people as possible to put their faith in Harry as the only person who could truly kill him. The last part of the bargain is this: if Voldemort killed Harry once he rose in the eyes of the general population to be something of a savior figure, Voldemort would not only kill Harry, but would be given the power to totally defeat all those who would stand against him, especially the Order of the Phoenix. You see, everyone who put their faith in Harry would have no strength to fight Voldemort. They'd still possess magic, but they'd be unable to stand against him. It would be mindlessly easy for Voldemort to subjugate them all as prisoners and slaves. They wouldn't stand a chance."

"What did the dark entity get out of this bargain?"

"Once Voldemort attained supreme power, he agreed to give the entity his choice of slaves to do with as he pleases. Something that evil lives to torture and destroy souls."

"What's being done to stop this from happening?"

Severus fell silent for several seconds.

"Harry cannot be allowed to face Voldemort in battle."

"What's to stop him?"

"Me."

"What!"

"I will prevent Harry from getting close to Voldemort."

Hermione didn't immediately say anything, her mind reeling from what Severus had told her.

"With the weakening potion you're developing? You said so yourself that it was by no means a definite solution."

"The solution has nothing to do with a potion."

"Then why are you working on a potion that's not going to do any good?" Hermione asked, more than a little frantic.

"Keep in mind that the Order has no idea about the truth of the prophecy."

"Why ever not? Surely everyone needs to be told so that they can work together to ensure Voldemort's downfall."

"Spoken like a true Gryffindor," Severus muttered under his breath.

Hermione gave him a sharp look. She began to say something but Severus immediately covered her mouth with his hand.

"You don't understand the gravity of the situation," he told her emphatically. "There is but one way to prevent events from happening as I just described. But because it is considered both evil and illegal, the Order would rather hide its head in the sand and stick to their belief in Harry. Even if I were to tell them what I've told you, they would still send Harry to fight Voldemort. They'd refuse to acknowledge the truth."

Severus slowly removed his hand from Hermione's mouth.

"What are you going to do?"

"You remember I said that I'd kill Dumbledore's phoenix if it proved to be the only way to truly defeat Voldemort."

"You told me that was an impractical solution."

"_I lied."_

"And you obviously lied to the Order and to me about the potential of that potion you were talking about."

"Can you not understand why I did that?"

Hermione looked away from him. She stared down at the mattress and did not look up.

"What makes you so sure that killing Fawkes is the only way to succeed at killing Voldemort?"

"It is the only guaranteed way of ridding Voldemort of his magic."

"And it will leave Harry without any power as well,"

"Yes, well that can't be helped."

"There was never any experimental potion was there? Everything you told me of its progress was a lie."

"I couldn't tell you the truth then."

Hermione let out a feminine snort.

"You easily could have, you just didn't want to."

Severus chose not to respond.

"So the formulas you had me work on were just a bunch of nonsense."

"No. They weren't. I'm working on developing a new potion at the lab beneath Downing Street, a potion that would serve as a sort of artificial version of Legilimency, the formulas you produced weren't entirely unusable. I need additive potions with the same formula as a weakening potion to stabilize the final product. The properties of the individual components change when the potion is in its final stages."

"For all I know, you might be lying to me now about that,"

"I'm not, Hermione."

"Does the Order know about this potion?"

"No. There's no reason for them to be told about it. Moody would probably use it as an excuse to arrest me on the spot."

"I understand why you chose to lie to me. But there is one thing I have to ask . . . are the potion and the phoenix the only subjects you lied about?" Hermione asked carefully.

Severus stilled and stared directly at Hermione's eyes.

"Yes. I've told you the truth about everything else."

Hermione didn't have to specify what exactly she was thinking about. Severus knew she had just questioned the truth of his answer regarding the question of him ever forcing himself on a woman.

Hermione visibly relaxed.

"I meant it when I said I trusted you. But if you lie to me again, I couldn't forgive you."

"Hermione . . ."

"I'm serious Severus. If you care about me even the tiniest bit, you'll think twice before being untruthful in the future."

Severus didn't reply. But Hermione didn't seem to be expecting him to.

"Did Dumbledore know the true nature of the prophecy?" she asked him.

"I told him everything I'm telling you now. In the end, he made me promise to find an alternative solution. No matter what I said, he wouldn't allow me to kill Fawkes. He was convinced that the prophecy wasn't real, but he refused to believe that Fawkes had to die. He made a point of saying that the murder of a phoenix was considered especially evil and the act itself was believed to irrevocably blacken a person's soul. But there is absolutely no proof that is true."

"Maybe there is another way," Hermione said quietly.

"There isn't." Severus said firmly.

"Dumbledore was an extremely brilliant man. He wouldn't have such unfounded reservations."

"Albus made more than a few mistakes in his lifetime. I consider that to be one of them."

Hermione held her tongue, deciding that she would let it go. For now.

"There's one more thing I don't understand," she told Severus.

"You want to know why Voldemort hasn't already killed Harry when he had ample opportunity to do so?"

"Is it because for Voldemort's power to be absolute, he needs to face Harry alone?"

"Partly. But also every time he's faced Harry and Harry has lived to tell the tale, Voldemort is well aware that Harry's confidence and self esteem in his role as the Chosen One is brought up a peg. The more Harry believes in himself, the more others will believe in him. Voldemort wants as many people as possible to look at Harry as their savior, because if he were to kill Harry the power given to him by the entity would enable him to rob every single one of those people of the power to fight him. The wider Harry's sphere of support, the more people Voldemort will have in his stranglehold."

Hermione was silent for a very long time.

"So all those times everyone had thought he wanted to kill Harry . . . they were just for show?"

"I gather that now you understand why the Order cannot know anything of what I told you."

"They really wouldn't believe it would they?"

"No. Not at all."

"I think Remus and Nymphadora might,"

"That's not a risk I'm willing to take,"

"I understand." Hermione told him. She held his gaze, openly considering him. "Severus?"

"Yes, Hermione?"

"Why did you choose to tell me? I understand why you told me the reasons for Dumbledore's trust in you. But what made you decide to go beyond that?"

"I felt that you'd be the only person alive who would understand. You're intellect and reasoning skills are both exceptionally remarkable, Hermione. I was hoping you'd see the logic in what I said."

"You had no other motives?"

"I haven't been able to locate Fawkes. I've tried scrying his location have a dozen times, and I can see a sunlit field near mountains, but not Fawkes himself."

"Are you asking for my help?"

"Don't put words in my mouth. It's dangerous dark magic the last thing I'd do would be to ask you to get involved."

"Severus, I've been in danger before."

"Not this kind."

Impulsively, Hermione reached out and brushed her fingertips along the side of Severus's face. Severus tensed his body at the contact.

"Don't," he told her. But the command lacked conviction.

"Stay with me tonight," she said to him.

"You do understand that when this is all over, you and I might never see each other again."

"I understand."

"Do you really?"

Severus made a move to rise from the bed, but Hermione put a hand on his shoulder and pressed firmly until he settled back down.

"I'll be gone when you awake in the morning. I'm leaving at dawn."

"Fine."

Hermione laid her head on a pillow, thinking in the silence that followed.

Severus's news had disconcerted her more than she cared to admit.

How did Severus plan to proceed with his plan?

Though the thought that weighed most heavily in her mind was what would happen to Severus at the end of all of this?

And then as she contemplated this, she was quickly coming to realize something that was startlingly clear.

She was beginning to have genuine feelings for Severus Snape.

**A/N: **And that's the end of the second half of Severus's explanation. I know all of you have thoughts and opinions about this chapter, so please let me know what they are by leaving me a review.

Thanks,

Dafina


	27. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

Hermione did not see Severus again until after dark on the following day. She'd occupied herself by reading Watership Down from start to finish, though she hadn't been able to keep her mnd entirely on the novel. She was sitting at the kitchen table with a glass of milk and plate of grilled chicken when Severus returned to his rooms.

"I made some supper for you. Will you come sit down?"

Severus approached her as she rose to get his food.

"I was thinking while you were gone," Hermione told him.

"Of course you were," Severus said as he sat down.

"I think there may be a way to kill Voldemort without killing Fawkes first."

Severus gave her a pointed look.

"We've been through this aleady."

"Yes, but listen. I'm here right now because Voldemort doesn't want Harry to destroy his Horcruxes. Certainly he must fear their destruction for a reason. What if–"

"Stop Hermione and listen to me. With his Horcruxes intact Voldemort is immortal. If all of them were destroyed, yes, he would be mortal but he would be no less powerful. It has nothing to do with power and everything to do with longevity. In his present state Voldemort will live indefinitely. With his Horcruxes destoryed, he'd live for another fifty or sixty years but he wouldn't be any weaker physically or magically than he is now. You can see that he'd rather live indefinitely."

"I understand and that makes sense, but I can't help thinking that if Dumbledore thought there was a way to defeat Voldemort without resorting to killing Fawkes, between the two of us we should be able to figure out what that alternative option is. It might be like finding a working solution for the anxiety I had. In the beginning you thought teaching me Shield Occlumency was the only way to alleviate my suffering. But then you thought of the Lover's Amulet and that proved to be a better solution than the Occlumency." Hermione told him. Severus noticed that her cheeks had colored slightly after she'd spoken her last sentence.

Better solution indeed.

"No, it's not like that at all." said Severus evenly, his eyes locking with hers as if he might have hoped that the weight of his stare would make her see he was right and she was wrong.

"How do you know that for sure, Severus?" Hermione asked with a touch of defiance.

_Typical Gryffindor woman. Much too headstrong for your own good. You just don't know when to quit do you?_

"I admit I made a mistake when I failed to specifically address the issue of Voldemort's Horcruxes last night. I didn't mean for you to get your hopes up for no reason," Severus said seriously.

_Let that be the end of it._

"Severus. I _know_ Dumbledore wouldn't lie about something that serious, or even give you information he knew might not be one hundred percent accurate. I didn't bring it up last night for fear you'd shut me out just as you're about to do this minute. But I'm telling you now that I truly think you're going about this all wrong."

"How dare you," said Severus softly. Both his expression and tone had turned suddenly cold. He instantly transformed into the hardened, dispassionate, unfeeling potions master that had sent so many Hogwarts students fleeing his presence in panicked terror. His next words were like shards of glass tearing through silk.

"You will not tell me what to do," He said clearly, a hint of something dark and dangerous in his voice.

Hermione wasn't frightened. She didn't even flinch. She met his gaze with cool, calm, composure.

"Don't tell you what to do? I'm sorry, but in this case, if telling you to seriously reconsider Dumbledore's words prevents you from making a grave and costly mistake, you'd better believe that that's _exactly _what I will do."

"Why you insolent bitch," said Severus. His tone was chilling and the look in his eyes was savage.

Hermione knew then that she'd gone a step too far. Had she been standing in front of him, she was certain that he would have hit her.

Hermione stared at Severus's face. Though she'd seriously angered him, she wasn't about to back down now. He thought she'd pushed too far. Well, she'd damn well push a bit farther.

A voice in the back of her head told her that she risked destroying whatever might have been between them, but she knew had no choice but to continue to try to make him see reason.

"Dammit Severus, Why can't you see the truth in what I'm saying?" she asked him, her tone rising.

"You know nothing, absolutely _nothing_ of Dark Magic," he told her scathingly. "I will not have you lecture me on the subject."

He immediately stood up from the table and started to leave the room.

Without thought Hermione leapt up from her seat and ran after him, seizing hold of his wrist to make him stop and look at her.

Hermione's eyes were large, imploring him with every ounce of her being to hear her out. Severus pulled his wrist out of her tight grasp and glared at her.

"What do I have to say, Severus? Tell me, what words do you want to hear from me? What will move you to make sure that you protect yourself from losing what soul now remains in your body when you kill the phoenix? Severus, . . . _please . . ._ _I'm begging you. Don't continue down this path without first ensuring that you don't destroy yourself at the end. Please."_

"And what would you have me do to prevent that from happening?" Severus asked her, his voice barely more than a whisper.

Hermione took hold of Severus's hands. This time he didn't pull away.

Somehow, he couldn't bring himself to fight her. She was like a forest maiden who was carefully taming a particularly dangerous wild animal.

"Let me find a protection spell for you," she told him softly.

Severus arched a brow.

"A protection spell? If you haven't already noticed Hermione, you aren't currently residing in Hogwarts' library. Just where, pray tell, do you intend to find the desired information on such a spell?"

"When you told me to pack a single bag of personal items I sort of cheated," she told him without preamble. She let go of his hands and stared at him solemnly.

"Cheated?" he repeated, waiting for her to elaborate.

"Instead of explaining it to you, I'll just show you." she said to him, before dashing away into his bedchamber.

Mildly intrigued, Severus waited for her to return, wondering what in the hell she'd meant. Hermione came back less than a minute later, holding something in her fist.

She turned her hand palm up and revealed the object she was holding.

There, in the center of her hand was a miniature wooden chest like one might expect to find inside a dollhouse.

Hermione looked up at Severus.

"Since I can't do magic here I haven't been able to return it to its normal size."

"What's inside of it?"

"Enlarge it and you'll find out."

Severus returned to the table where he had set his wand when he'd come in and Hermione followed him. She set the micro sized chest on the floor and stepped back, waiting for Severus to perform the spell that return it to its true size.

Severus murmured a quick spell and in the blink of an eye, a large rosewood chest appeared in front of him. Hermione knelt down and lifted its lid.

After reaching beneath various folded articles of clothing, Hermione withdrew three thick books. Turning toward Severus she held each one out for him to set on the table.

The titles were _The Feminine Spirit: A Book of Women's Spells, The Art of Casting Counter Spells, _and _Healing Magic of Europe._

Hermione stood up and gave Severus a wry smile.

"I should have known that you're incapable of going anywhere for any length of time without bringing along a massive amount of reading material," he said drily, though his tone was not so condescending as it might have been.

"I think these three volumes are a rather good place to start, don't you?"

"I suppose they're as good a place as any other,"

"Good. Might you help me look through them?"

Though Severus privately thought there was next to no chance that the books Hermione had brought would provide them with anything even remotely useful, he decided that he had nothing to lose by looking through them.

He sat down and flipped to the index of _The Art of Casting Counter-Spells._

Hermione sat down across from him, pulling _The Feminine Spirit _towards her.

Severus wasn't sure whether he wanted to throttle her senseless or kiss her. He'd long ago resolved himself to the task of doing whatever was necessary to send Voldemort straight to Hell. He knew that once he shot Fawkes, even if his soul was irrevocably damaged, the damage wouldn't fully take effect for hours if not days. Soul destruction was a slow agonizing process.

No matter what happened to him after the act was committed, he knew he'd be able to kill Voldemort.

And to him, up until now, that had been all that had mattered.

His desire for vengeance would not be denied. He _would _kill Voldemort. There was no question.

What happened after the creature who used to be Tom Marvolo Riddle died by his hand, he hadn't allowed himself to dwell on.

If Dumbledore's fears proved to be correct, and killing the phoenix caused his soul to corrupt beyond all recognition, the Order of the Phoenix would certainly destroy him before he lost his humanity entirely.

Just like a rabid dog.

He knew there was a risk that would happen, but he'd never let that stop him from pursuing his plan. He had known better than to hope that there'd be a way for him to definitely survive all of this unscathed.

And he'd thought on more than one occasion that perhaps he didn't want to survive it.

Now though, he hardly knew how to allow himself to believe that Hermione could possibly save the surviving half of his soul from destruction.

But as he glanced up from the pages of the book to look at her, he found that maybe, just maybe, he actually _wanted _to be saved.

Over the next couple of days Hermione spent all of her waking hours perusing her books, intent on finding an answer to the problem of protecting Severus from whatever dark forces might seek to destroy him. Severus read with her when he returned in the evenings.

By Saturday morning they'd amassed several sheets of parchment on findings that might possibly prove to be useful, but nothing stuck out as being particularly appropriate.

"We'll find something," Hermione told him before he left to attend the Order meeting.

"You should take a break,"

"I'm fine."

"I'll leave you to it then. I'll be back before nightfall."

Hermione watched him leave the suite.

She returned her gaze to her book, and began flipping through the pages with renewed determination. In his absence, Hermione put her hand on her crystal pendant. It was comfortingly warm against her skin.

She'd be damned if she came out empty handed in this.

The truth of the matter was that she cared about Severus too much to let him risk causing his own destruction.

She wouldn't let that happen.

She would find a suitable spell to protect him. She was sure of it.

For Hermione was a Gryffindor on a mission, fiercely determined and unwaveringly persistent. And on top of that she was the one and only Hermione Granger. She possessed an intellect that very few people could rival and her researching skills were something that was an innate part of her.

Sitting alone with three books, each nearly a thousand pages long, she was in her element.

Yes, she could definitely do this.

**A/N: **Another Order meeting full of conflict and tension coming up next:)


	28. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

Most of the Order members were waiting for the meeting to begin when Severus entered Grimmauld Place. All save for Remus and Nymphadora who arrived about five minutes after he did.

The couple did get a few looks from some of the older members when they walked into the living room together. Though Severus noticed that Alastor Moody's attention was focused solely on him. The old Auror was looking at him with a positively murderous stare.

Severus suppressed the urge to smirk at him.

_Yes, yes Alastor. So I see that you _still_ want to do me bodily harm. Think you might be a little less obvious about it, old man?_

Remus and Nymphadora took their customary seats on the couch in front of where Severus was standing.

"Now that all of us are present," Minerva announced, "let us begin this meeting. Severus, you may take the floor."

"I'm here to tell you that Narcissa Malfoy is in Sydney, Australia," Severus said, looking at Minerva.

"And you're certain of this, Severus?"

"Quite. She's living without magic and has sent Bellatrix an aeroplane ticket to come visit her. What's more, she told her sister that she has found a way to raise herself up within the ranks of the Death Eaters and by assisting her, Bellatrix would forever ensure her place amongst Voldemort's most trusted."

"What could Narcissa be hiding?" Minerva asked.

"That would be what we need to find out," Severus told her, perhaps a little more curtly than was necessary.

"Of course," she responded, darting a gaze at Alastor. "What is the date of Bellatrix's departure?"

"Tuesday."

"Then we need to send a team of Aurors to Australia straightaway."

Minerva turned her gaze from Severus. It now fell on Nymphadora.

Nymphadora, in an almost imperceptible movement, shrank back from Minerva's stare.

"Nymphadora, I'd like you to accompany Alastor as Kingsley can't be spared at the moment long enough to make a trip to Sydney. You and he need to select three others that will complete the team..."

Nymphadora let out a very small, very strangled squeak.

"_I can't go," _she said, inaudibly at first, for her throat had closed and appeared unable to issue sound.

"I'm sorry, what did you say? Speak up child, my ears aren't as young as they used to be."

"_I said I can't go,"_ her voice now just above a whisper.

"I'm afraid you'll have to reschedule whatever personal activities you may have had planned."

"That's not it,"

For a fleeting moment, Minerva looked very puzzled.

"Nymphadora, quit being so very vague. If you have something to say, say it."

Nymphadora visibly tensed. Remus covered her hand with his.

There was absolute silence in the room as everyone waited for her to respond.

Nymphadora took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly before continuing.

"I'm with child, Minerva. I'm to be the mother of twins," Nymphadora said clearly.

Whatever Minerva had been expecting Nymphadora to say, admitting to being pregnant was definitely not something that she had thought would happen.

Nymphadora looked around the room and saw that everyone had expressions of varying degrees of surprise, with the exception of Severus.

Without really knowing why, Nymphadora turned her head to look at him.

The look in his eyes was one of true respect. It almost made her smile.

The silence stretched on for several more very long seconds.

It was Molly who spoke first.

"I would have thought that the two of you would have exercised better discretion. An unplanned pregnancy is not something that happens to couples who possess a fair degree of good judgement."

Nymphadora's eyes narrowed in indignation.

"How dare you," Nymphadora said to her. "I can't believe you're insinuating that this happened because we were irresponsible."

She looked at Remus and saw that his green eyes were also bright with anger.

"That's enough, Molly," he said tersely.

Molly held his gaze with aplomb.

"And I thought you had more honor, Remus. I never thought you were the type to shag first and ask questions later."

"_Mum,_" George said in a pointed undertone.

"Tell me truly, Molly, did you and Arthur _really_ wait until your wedding night to consummate your relationship?" Remus asked coldly.

No one spoke for three agonizingly long seconds.

"You go too far, Remus." Arthur told him dangerously.

Remus actually had the audacity to let out a snort.

"Do I?"

Fred and George looked like they wanted nothing more than for the floor to open up into a great dark chasm and swallow them whole, not that anyone in the room was paying them any attention.

"Stop it, both of you!" Minerva said sternly. "I have a meeting to run and I'll not have you engaging in a verbal fight in the middle of it. Now I'm sure Alastor can find another Auror to take with him to fill in for Nymphadora."

"Well she _was_ one of the only ones whom I could actually trust on a mission. I'll have to test the candidates for the job myself."

"Then do that, Alastor," Minerva told him.

"Minerva," Alastor began in a conversational tone. "Might I ask you what concrete proof you have to show that Severus really isn't lying to us because his loyalty to us isn't true?"

_This again? I'm sure the rest of the Order is getting tired of this Alastor. You paranoid bastard, _Severus thought with a cool glare in Mad-Eye's direction.

"No proof that I could ever come up with would be enough for you. I don't understand why you won't accept Severus's loyalty and be done with it. Since Albus died, you seem to have become dead set on exposing Severus as a turncoat."

"Not quite. To say that he's a turncoat would imply that at one time or another he was actually on our side," Alastor told her as he eyed Severus with open malice. "You know, I've told you time and time again that he's a danger to us all. And here, the werewolf and his whore let him have Hermione Granger."

Remus shot to his feet in rage, his eyes gleaming with hatred.

Startled, Minerva flung out a hand as if that might be enough to keep Remus back so he wouldn't advance on the Auror and rip him to shreds with his bare hands.

"Apologise to Nymphadora, Alastor. _Now." _Remus said in a dangerous tone.

"Why should I when it's partially her fault that Hermione's imprisoned in Severus's private chambers? I wonder how many times he's raped the poor girl."

"REMUS, SEVERUS, DON'T YOU DARE MOVE!" Minerva shouted in a tone that succeeded in making the men obey her, if only for a few more seconds.

"Get the bastard out of here, Minerva. Or else I'll beat him within an inch of his life. If he's lucky." Remus growled.

Minerva let out an uneven breath. Everyone's eyes were fixed on Severus and Remus. And if one was being observant, they would have noticed that the look in Fred Weasley's eyes held a particularly wary suspicion.

"I need him here for consultation, Remus."

"That wasn't the right response."

"Please, try to calm down, both of you." she said pleadingly, looking from Remus to Severus and then back to Remus.

Kingsley cleared his throat and proceeded to speak for the first time.

"Perhaps we _can_ carry on without Alastor. I'm pretty up to speed with everything going on at the Ministry."

Minerva nodded and looked back to Alastor.

"That settles it then. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"Are you serious?" he asked her incredulously.

"Yes, very." she told him seriously.

Alastor got to his feet and fixed Minerva with a stare full of warning.

"One day you'll be sorry that you didn't listen to me about him,"

And with that Alastor Moody Disapparated.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Hermione was still hard at work when Severus returned to his rooms. Unfortunately, for the three hours she'd been reading and making notes, she'd found next to nothing that might possibly prove useful.

"How was the meeting?" she asked, collecting the papers spread out in front of her and putting them into a neat pile.

When Severus didn't immediately respond, Hermione went over to where he was standing.

"Is everything alright?" she asked with concern.

"Minerva had to order Alastor to leave about fifteen minutes into the meeting."

"Because of you?" she asked quietly.

"Well he insulted Nymphadora while he accused me of raping you."

"Oh. Grand."

"Yes, quite. Needless to say, Remus was about ready to rip him apart."

"But he left willingly?"

"Not without telling the Order that they'd all be sorry that they didn't listen to his warnings about me,"

"Why can't he see that you're on his side?"

"Probably because he's a narrow minded son of a bitch,"

Hermione gave Severus a half smile.

"You didn't find anything of particular import while I was gone, did you?"

"No. I'm sure that has something to do with the fact that murdering a phoenix is such a significantly dark act that most books on general protection spells won't mention how to prevent your soul from being destroyed because of it."

"I suppose there's nothing I can say to make you abandon your quest to find an answer," Severus told her.

"I won't do that, Severus."

"Hermione..."

"Don't you dare try to dissuade me."

"It really shouldn't matter to you," Severus said quietly.

"Yeah, well, it _does_ matter to me, okay? I can't let you destroy yourself."

Severus stared at her, his eyes searching hers as he tried to see why she was so adamant.

"What am I to you, Hermione? Why should you care what happens to me? If you weren't here now, I'd be doing this my way and there'd be nothing you could do to change my fate. Is it that you have some sort of protection complex? All your years at school you had to protect Potter and now since you can't do anything to protect him in your current situation you immediately jump to save the next thing that you think needs your intervention? Or might it be that you don't want me to die as a result of what I have to do because you've somehow done the very thing I told you not to do?" He asked her.

"I . . ." Hermione began, not immediately trusting herself to speak.

"Go on, tell me Hermione. Why do you want to save what wretched remnants I have left of my soul? I have a feeling it's not going to be because I was extremely good in bed," he told her with a droll look.

Hermione pursed her lips and stared at him, the truth was plain in her eyes. She took a small step forward.

"Severus,"

He tensed as she said his name, but remained silent.

"You know why," she said, her voice the softest whisper.

"So you think you've fallen in love with me? Is that it?"

"Are you going to ask me to apologise for having feelings for you?"

"No."

"You're not yelling at me yet. Or are you just getting ready to?"

"I won't yell at you, Hermione."

"But you're upset," she told him.

"I don't think upset is the right word."

"No? What would you call it then?"

Severus ignored her question.

"You do realise that Harry finds out that you're with me tomorrow. If he were to find out the truth about your feelings for me, what do you honestly think he'd do?"

"I don't know."

"Yes, you do."

"Please, I don't want to hear you tell me all the reasons why I can't love you."

Hermione expected Severus to leave the room then. She was more than a little surprised when he moved closer to her.

"Hermione, . . . do you believe things happen for a reason?"

"Some things, yes. Why?"

Severus was quiet for several long seconds.

"I can hardly believe I'm about to say this, but what if you were wrong to look in those books for something that would apply to my situation? What if the key is standing right in front of me?"

"Me?...You mean my love for you could ensure the protection of your soul?"

Severus did not reply. His dark eyes only looked into the deepest depths of hers as he raised a hand to her head to brush a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"Gods, how I've wanted to deny this. I can't even begin to understand it. But it seems to be beyond my control."

"What, Severus?"

"Somehow I'm beginning to feel for you something like what I felt for Lily. . . . It's . . . Hermione, it _should_ be impossible. The magic of the Mark is not something that can be negated. And yet . . . and yet . . . here I am before you now and I no longer have the will to fight it."

"Fight what?" Hermione asked.

"The urge to do this," he whispered before his mouth came down on hers in a slow and drugging kiss.

Hermione pressed herself against him raised her left leg to his hip. Wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, she let him lift her off the ground so that she could hook both legs around his waist.

"Severus," she murmured as he began to move towards the door of his bedroom.

"Yes?"

"You know you've just made me deliriously happy."

Severus was about to whisper a reply into her ear when suddenly the two of them felt a coldness fill the room that had nothing at all to do with the temperature.

For Hermione it was as if her anxiety from Voldemort's presence had returned tenfold, only she saw that Severus must have felt it too.

Severus set Hermione on her feet, instinctively shielding her with his body as he turned to face the door.

But somehow, Severus intuitively knew that whatever had caused the bone chilling feeling was not outside in the hall. It was down below.

In Voldemort's study.

Apparently Voldemort was very, very angry.

**A/N: **Sorry for not updating! Real life got in the way. And I'm also sorry about the serious cliffhanger. But I promise you won't have to wait a month to read the next chapter. Please review, but don't throw things at me for making Molly OOC. There are always certain times when even the nicest person behaves out of character.

Thanks! Dafina


	29. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

"Is that . . ."

"Voldemort, yes," Severus told her.

"Has this happened before?" Hermione asked, a tinge of fear in her tone.

"Every time he personally tortures someone for failure," Severus said gravely, his gaze locked with Hermione's. The haunted look in Severus's eyes immediately chilled Hermione's blood.

He started to slowly move away from her. Hermione darted her hand out to clamp down hard on Severus's wrist.

The look of terror in her eyes struck pain into the very core of his being.

"Hermione, let me go," he said softly, his words barely audible.

She didn't loosen her hold on him and he did not try to pull out of her grasp.

"You know I must go to him,"

"I have this terrible feeling that you're in danger,"

"My dear, within these walls I'm always in danger,"

"You know full well what I mean,"

"I know."

"If you go see Voldemort now, I can't help but worry . . ."

"I'll come back to you, Hermione."

"How can you say that for certain?" she asked shrilly.

"If I was the cause of his anger, there would be men at that door, breaking their way in to drag me downstairs in chains,"

His words did precious little to comfort Hermione. Her eyes fell upon Severus's Dark Mark, which had begun to stand out like burning charcoal on his skin. She knew he had to be in serious pain, though he did absolutely nothing to show it. Even his breathing was perfectly calm.

Blinking back tears, Hermione released Severus.

She watched him, staring at him without even once blinking, as he went out the door.

Hermione stifled a sob with the back of her hand, praying silently to whatever gods might be listening that Severus would return to her safely.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Severus Apparated to stand in front of the door of Voldmort's meeting room. Through force of will, his mind became focused on the only thing that mattered when he had to meet Voldemort face to face; _survival._

All thought of Hermione was locked away. To show any sign of humanity in front of the creature he was about to face was tantamount to signing his own death warrant.

Severus once again became the cold and calculating man that Voldemort had mistakenly grown to trust. He entered the room quickly, passing men and women who were coming to stand in a circle around Voldemort and two people in the middle of the room.

Bellatrix was being held in front of Voldemort by the strong hands of her husband. Her wrists were tied firmly behind her.

"_Severus,"_ Voldemort spat, keeping his eyes fixed on Bellatrix. "This _bitch _has been disloyal to me,"

"Great Lord, I could not be with her long enough to decisively discern that she was in contact with her sister."

"Yes. I know. And I did not expect you to shadow her every hour of the day. Though if you had applied yourself more fully to the task, I could have learned of this that much sooner." Voldemort said in a low tone. "_I am sorely displeased," _he hissed evenly. "All I asked was for you to find out if she was putting her loyalty to her sister before her loyalty to me. Was that _truly _too much to ask?"

"No, Lord."

Voldemort let out a disgusted sigh.

"Rest easy, Severus. _You _are not to blame for Bella's actions. Count this as the one time I let you make a mistake without punishment. I suppose as the man who killed the once great Albus Dumbledore, I can find it within myself to forgive you. Though let this be a warning. If you find yourself in this spot again, Severus, I shall certainly make up for the benevolence I've shown you today in the torture you will receive at my hand."

"Yes, my Lord," Severus said in what passed for a contrite tone.

Severus wondered what had lead Voldemort to discover Bellatrix's communication with Narcissa.

Rudolphous let out a short laugh.

"I found a ticket to Sydney in Bella's purse," he said with dark amusement. "Let it suffice to say that I was able to force the truth out of her after that,"

Bellatrix glared at Severus.

"Hear now why I've been in communication with Narcissa and haven't told you. I had a telephone conversation from her just three days ago and she is confident that the man whom you consider the greatest of us all is really pulling the wool over your eyes. She tells me that she's completely certain that Severus here is truly loyal to those who stood with Dumbledore. She says Draco heard that Severus only killed Dumbledore because the old fool was already dying. She only needed proof to expose him for what he is before she came before you with such a serious accusation. I was to see her and help her obtain that proof my lord. And she made a point to tell me that she has Slytherin's ring in her possession. Draco was able to take it before he left Hogwarts." Bellatrix said in a clear and utterly calm tone. She held her head high and looked to Voldemort for a response.

Severus watched Voldemort tense visibly.

"You speak very frankly for someone who is in a position to lie. It's an interesting statement you make that Dumbledore was already on death's door when Severus killed him. The gods know the man was old enough. Perhaps he was really dying of old age and Severus somehow modified the spell so that hatred wouldn't be taken into account in its casting. He always was highly adept at creating and changing spells. But though that may be true, why should I believe you, Bella? You, whose life I hold now in my hands, could very well be making such an accusation in an attempt to save your own skin. Do you have any proof that your sister's suspicion in founded in fact?"

By sheer dint of will, Severus remained lucidly calm.

"I have no proof right now, my lord. If you but give me a chance"–

Bellatrix's words were cut short by a vicious backhand from Voldemort.

"Silence. I've heard enough from you."

Voldemort turned to face Severus.

"She has good reason to lie. But if she _is _telling the truth, to give her Veritaserum that you made would be quite counterproductive, wouldn't it? And I haven't any from another source. I could very well use Legilimency to see what's inside her mind, but even that in certain circumstances can be inaccurate. So I ask myself, _what do I do?_"

Voldemort's gaze was a gleaming leer as he looked Severus in the eyes.

Severus held his gaze without flinching.

"I shall have to test your loyalty to me. But how, Severus? What could I do to learn where your true loyalties lie?"

"Name any task, my lord and I shall see it done," Severus told him seriously. "I tell you truly and quite openly that Bellatrix has no reason to doubt me. She always did doubt me before, and I murdered Albus Dumbledore with the killing curse. You know that for the curse to work the one who casts it must feel true hatred for the victim. She finally relented after that and only now resorts to proclaiming her old accusations against me in an effort to gain favor when she's lost what what little esteem you had for her."

"You sound so perfectly confident, Severus. But is that because you are honestly devoted to me or because you are unusually adept at lying?"

"What must I do to assuage the doubt Bellatrix has planted in these past few moments?" Severus asked.

Voldemort was silent for a moment.

"I would have you give up your prize upstairs and watch as I had a bit of fun with her, but what would I gain by doing that? Even if you proved able to view the show, I'd have nothing to show for your loyalty. Without giving you a task that involves something else entirely, I would have nothing new to gloat over."

"What do you wish to have, my lord?"

Voldemort smiled evilly.

"How about Dumbledore's pet werewolf?"

"Done, my lord," Severus said smoothly.

"You have two days to get him to come to me, Severus."

"My lord, the werewolf will be turned to serve you well within that time frame,"

"Good. I'll look forward welcoming him into my legions. I daresay Fenrir will be most happy to have him under his command."

"You shall gain quite an advantage over The Order of the Phoenix with such a crushing blow. After bursting such a hole in their morale, I'm sure they will be able to do next to nothing to stand against you in these next few weeks before your strength returns in full," Severus told him.

"I can nearly smell their defeat already," Voldemort said with sinister twist of his lips.

Voldemort turned back to Bellatrix.

"Now. What shall I do with _you_?"

"My lord, please! I could be right about Severus!"

Voldemort snorted, highly unamused.

"And you could be wrong."

"Ruldolphous, what do you propose I do with your wife?"

"Well you can certainly kill her if you like. Though I don't think she's lost all of her usefulness. After all, she believed that her secret communication with Narcissa was in your own best interest."

Voldemort was eerily silent as he contemplated Bellatrix's fate, his hand absently stroking his chin as he thought.

"No, I will not kill her. I'm going to make it very clear that she is not to keep secrets from me. Ever. Again."

Bellatrix's screams echoed throughout the high ceilinged room an instant after Voldemort aimed his wand at her chest.

Severus looked on with expertly feigned tranquility, his mind still completely closed to any outside thoughts about the future.

Over a quarter of an hour later, Bellatrix's screams died away and Voldemort moved to address the crowd of robed figures standing around him.

"As I now know why Narcissa and her brat have been avoiding me, you may all cease your spells to find her. She no longer concerns me. I care not if she rots in Azkaban. In the grand scheme of things to come, Narcissa Black-Malfoy matters not at all. I merely needed to ascertain if she was somehow moving to strike against me, attempting to destroy my recently replenished supply of Horcruxes. Now that I know what she has been up to, and the reasons for it, I am satisfied to let her come to whatever fate the gods may have in store for her. I do not need Slytherin's ring to defeat the Order of the Phoenix and the teenage brat they stand with. As for the werewolf, it is Severus's job to find him and cast the spells necessary to bring him to my side. All of you are dismissed."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Severus entered his rooms to find Hermione curled up in the fetal position on the couch. She immediately moved into a sitting position as he approached her. Before he could even cross the room, Hermione jumped up and went to him.

"I was so afraid that he'd somehow found out the truth and that he was torturing you," she told him in a strangled voice. She embraced him, leaning her head against his chest. He held her against him and suddenly she pulled back a little in his arms.

"Severus, you're shaking . . . did Voldemort . . .?"

"Cast the Cruciatus Curse on me? No."

Hermione breathed a nearly silent sigh of relief. She then looked up at him.

"Tell me what's the matter? Was it something you saw?"

"No. It was something I heard, Hermione."

"Please, tell me."

"Voldemort found out about Bellatrix's plans to see her sister. And thinking that Voldemort would kill her for keeping it a secret, she told him that Narcissa was almost certain that I served the Order of the Phoenix. She said that I killed Dumbledore because he was dying."

"_No,"_ Hermione breathed, staring up at Severus. "How could they have suspected that?"

"My guess is that Draco Malfoy somehow overheard a conversation between Albus and me, despite our best efforts to ward against eavesdropping. The thing about dark magic is that it can counter nearly every defensive or protective spell if done properly."

"Of course after that, Voldemort was convinced he needed to give me a task that will prove my loyalty once and for all."

"But you can't possibly commit some act of evil for him. What did he tell you to do, and how are you going to get around it?"

Severus did not readily reply.

His expression made Hermione's heart skip a beat.

Her hands went to his chest and she gripped his shirt in her fists.

"Gods, Severus _say something._ You're beginning to scare me."

"I have to make him think I am what I say I am," he said faintly. "I have to convince Remus to pretend to yield to Fenrir's manipulation. I have until Monday to get Remus to come here. If I fail my one opportunity to kill Voldemort before he forces Harry into the final battle will be gone."

"And Voldemort will kill you for treason," Hermione said softly. "And if you're killed, I'll become Voldemort's favourite plaything long before he ever considers ending my life."

Severus didn't respond, but then, both of them knew he didn't have to.

For a Gryffindor, Hermione was as brutally astute as any Slytherin.

"I can't continue to walk on this knife-edge much longer," he told her.

_Especially not with you in so much danger,_ he thought privately.

"If we're going to end this together, I would ask for you help in planning what will happen in the coming weeks before I kill Fawkes. I need to find a drawing spell that works on highly magical creatures."

"And you and I need to decide how we'll be protecting your humanity. There's one book I haven't looked in yet. I relegated it to last, thinking that it was least likely to have something appropriate for this situation. I have a feeling, that it holds the answer we need."

"Are you up to researching now?" Severus asked quietly.

"You know I am," Hermione told him with conviction.

Before she went to collect her book and papers she gently pulled his head down to meet her lips in a feather soft, heartfelt kiss.

And in that kiss, she knew she would do anything to protect this man.

**A/N: **Nine more chapters and an epilogue to go.


	30. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

Hermione retrieved a fourth book from the very bottom of the rosewood chest.

"Come sit with me and look at this," she told Severus while she opened the book and began to scan its table of contents page. Severus followed after Hermione to take a seat next to her at the table.

"Might I ask the title of what you're looking at?" Severus asked, when Hermione made no move to either speak further or show him what exactly she was reading.

Hermione looked up and gave him a genuine smile. She then pushed the book over so that it was between the two of them and closed it so Severus could read the cover.

_Amor_ _Veritas: When Two Souls Become One_

"Hermione, look I don't"– Severus began but was abruptly cut off by the determined Gryffindor witch next to him.

"Shut up and let me read," she said without thought, turning to a chapter she'd deemed to be particularly suitable.

Severus checked himself from snapping at her to look for something a little less . . . lasting . . . and certainly less _irrevocable._ And Severus knew as well as anyone that pretty much _all _bonding spells cast in the name of love lasted for life and the uniting magical bond created between the two people involved was unbreakable unless of course one of the parties happened to die suddenly.

Given what had gone on between Lily and him, he was through personal experience, quite the expert on what could happen when a soul bond was unintentionally severed.

If Hermione bonded the entirety of her soul to what was left of his and something were to happen to him in the moments following Voldemort's demise, namely Bellatrix somehow getting a killing curse past his defenses, Hermione would suffer for the rest of her life.

He slowly blew out a deep breath and hoped he'd have the patience to steer Hermione in a more appropriate direction without setting fire to that iron-willed obstinacy she had such a tendency to exhibit.

"Oh Severus, I should have thought of this days ago. But it doesn't matter now, for it's just become all so clear . . ." She met his gaze and in her eyes the very heart of her soul was laid bare to his view.

"Please, read this page," she told him, pointing with her hand and pushing the book further in front of him.

Severus inwardly recoiled. He could all too well guess what it was that Hermione had found. When he looked down and read the words on the page before him, it took every ounce of his willpower not to let the single syllable that was on his lips escape, _no._

_Gods no._

Yes, he'd wanted Hermione's feelings for him to help play a role in creating a spell of protection. He'd hoped that the _Feminine Spirit_ would have yielded an appropriate choice, something similar to the spells cast by a man's lover before he went to a duel. Something that would cease to exist the instant the victory in battle had been achieved.

All his imaginings had involved something powerful yet relatively _small_. Perhaps some sort of charm worked over the heart. He knew that was a common way of preventing evil from taking over a soul. It created a magical barrier, a wall of sorts, around the soul to keep malevolent forces at a safe distance.

Why in the names of all the gods could he not do something of that nature?

Did killing a phoenix really create that much more of an impact on the purity of one's soul?

_Apparently it did._

Which would make sense for a protection spell against a force of such _persistent_ soul corruption to need to be as deep rooted and powerful as the one listed on the page he was now looking at.

He read the page in its entirety and made no move to reply, knowing that Hermione fully expected him to say something.

Deep inside of him, something shattered.

What a fool he'd been to actually believe,–nay hope– that there'd be a way for him to come out of this last ordeal unscathed.

_Damned Gryffindor witch!_

If it hadn't been for her, he would never have mistakenly allowed himself to entertain the possibility of surviving his upcoming task.

Severus let out a soft, derisive snort. Out of the corner of his eye he could see that the sound had earned him a strange look from Hermione.

_You should have known that it would be impossible for Fate to grant you more good fortune than you deserve. And you deserve nothing. Certainly no more than the next man, for what have you done that might set you apart?_

_Devote your life to serving Albus Dumbledore's precious cause?_

_You had the free will to refuse._

Severus swallowed, his gaze still averted from Hermione's eyes.

_You knew the consequences, knew there was a very good chance you'd have to give your life in exchange for the one opportunity to kill Voldemort._

_And you accepted it without complaint._

_Until **she** rekindled that ridiculous spark of hope._

_Gods, I truly am a fool._

_I actually **let** her work her feminine wiles and weaken my resolve._

He wanted to laugh, he really did, but could not bring himself to express the humor.

_Why did I let her affect me so?_

"Severus, you're so quiet . . ." Hermione said softly, gently laying a hand on his arm.

Severus fought back the urge to take her hand off of him.

He made no move to reply, forcing himself to refrain from shouting at her that she was too much of a bloody optimist and sometimes no matter what, you couldn't get the happy ending you wished for.

There were a thousand and one reasons why he shouldn't-couldn't-bond his soul with Hermione's.

He'd made peace, before he'd been forced to share quarters with Hermione Granger- with the fact that he'd most likely die shortly after he killed Fawkes and Voldemort.

He told himself that it wouldn't be too hard to make peace with that fact again.

And yet, for a short time he'd foolishly thought that he'd actually have a future.

But now he knew that had been too much to ask.

The worst thing was, that as he thought about it all, a part of him, albeit a very small one, actually brightened at the idea of sharing souls with Hermione.

He inwardly tensed at the thought.

As he processed what was going through his mind he chalked up that particular desire to the fact that his subconscious mind just wanted to have sex with Hermione a second time and that was the only reason his brain had told him that a soul bond with her might be quite appealing.

But as he sat in silence, he realized that initial conclusion was incorrect.

It hadn't taken much inward reflection for him to realize that he'd developed some sort of true affection for the girl.

Yes, that strange and foreign tight feeling in his chest was proof that he actually cared for her, cared for her deeply.

He remembered the feeling from what seemed like a lifetime ago when he'd been bonded with Lily.

Gods, it was going to crush him to tell her that he could not bond his soul with hers.

"Hermione"- he began weakly. He turned and held her gaze resolutely.

He hadn't realized how close she really was to him.

He was unable to get another word out for Hermione chose that exact second to silence him with a kiss. Her lips were gentle and pliantagainst his, urging him to respond.

And despite all the reasons his mind was giving him to pull away to push Hermione from him and tell her that they could not do what they were doing, despite all the protests running through his brain, Severus deepened her kiss.

He could not stop himself.

The taste of her was his undoing.

He did nothing to prevent her from slowly climbing into his lap to straddle him.

By that point he'd told the logical, over-analytical side of his brain to shut up.

And through her actions, it was not just her body she was offering him, but her heart.

For the first time since Lily's death, the deepest regions of Severus's heart stirred with life.

It was in that moment, in the truest kiss he'd ever known, that Severus Snape had his answer.

How could he give up what this young woman was offering him?

He'd been mere seconds from throwing it all away. He'd been so perilously close to choosing death instead of a lifetime with Hermione.

He'd been so close to ignoring what was in his heart.

If Hermione hadn't chosen that precise moment to express her deepest feelings for him, he would have forced her away from him, the realization only made him pour his true emotions into his kisses.

Even what he'd briefly shared with Lily could not hold a candle to the pure heartfelt passion that burned within him as he kissed Hermione.

_Yes Hermione. Yes I **do** love you. If only you knew how close I came to losing this forever._

When their kisses drove them apart for oxygen Hermione sat back on her haunches and brought her right hand up to rub at the corners of her eyes.

The kiss had moved her to tears. She laughed as she wiped the moisture from her eyes.

And as she stared into the dark eyes of her former professor, she was surprised to see that he too had a single tear glistening on his cheek.

"Does this mean you'll bond your soul with mine?" she asked, though her heart already knew the answer.

Severus's lips turned up into a genuine smile, the first truly genuine smile Hermione had ever seen on his face.

He really was quite devastatingly handsome when he smiled.

She smiled back, knowing that he was hers forever.

"Yes Hermione. We shall unite our souls together."

**A/N: **Sorry about the short chapter, but I've had almost no time to write these past few days and family is visiting this week. I decided to split the chapter into two parts, the next part will focus on Remus and Severus, Harry will actually make an appearance as well. The chapter after that will be all Severus and Hermione. I was going to add a nice lemon to this, but I thought it was better to post what I had now instead of making you all wait another eight or nine days. And I rather like how it turned out.


	31. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

Remus Lupin was _not_ a happy man. He literally glared at the fireplace from which the form of Molly Weasley had appeared mere seconds earlier to inform him that Harry was staying at the Burrow and had just received his proof of Hermione's "capture".

The very last thing he wanted to do right now was make an appearance at the Weasley home.

He still hadn't forgiven Molly for her callous comments and both Molly and Arthur were bound to be more than a little icy at his presence in their house.

He didn't want to face Harry, either.

Why did everyone seem to be of the opinion that if they needed something difficult done, all they had to do was ask Remus and he'd be happy to do it for them?

He let out a forceful sigh.

_Why did I let Minerva force me into complying with her request?_

While it pained him to know that Harry was now hysterical with rage and fear, he told himself that there was absolutely nothing he could say or do that would make the boy feel any better.

And if that was the case, why the hell did he have to show up and "_try"_ to comfort and reassure him?

_Damn everything to hell._

He knew it didn't help matters that he was in such an ill mood. But quite frankly, all things considered, he _really _didn't care.

When he saw Harry what was he supposed to say? Who did Minerva think he was that he could supposedly just manufacture emotions that weren't there?

Harry would be devastated, torn apart. How the fuck was Remus going to pretend that he shared Harry's pain and outrage?

He'd much rather get in touch with Minerva and tell her that she could send Mad-Eye to deal with Harry. At least he'd get right into the I-want-to-kill-Severus-Snape thing. The only problem was that Mad-Eye would actually be thrilled to help Harry track Severus down and kill him.

And of course Moody didn't have a bond with Harry. Remus did, which was precisely the reason why Minerva had selected him for the task of "being there" for the boy when he got word of Hermione's whereabouts.

Again, he really wished he hadn't let McGonagall talk him into it.

Unfortunately now, there was no way to back out.

Remus stood up from his chair and prepared himself for what he was about to face when he stepped out of the Weasley's fireplace, though he knew no amount of mental preparation was going to make him ready.

Breathing in deeply and exhaling slowly, Remus stepped into the fireplace and flooed to the Burrow.

What he found as soon as he had emerged was exactly what he had expected. Pure and total chaos. Harry, Ron, and Ginny were shouting at the top of their lungs, and Molly and Arthur were standing by the door barring Harry and Ron from charging out to go Snape hunting.

Arthur saw Remus appear in the threshold of the drawing room.

"Remus is here, Harry. He'll be able to help lay out a plan. Talk to him while Molly and I go inform Minerva and Kingsley of the situation."

"_Get Mad-Eye here. He'll know what to do. _He's always hated that fucking bastard of a Potions Master and I want to make sure he's with us."

"Yes, of course," Arthur said, "I'll tell him."

Arthur and his wife left the room and Remus moved forward.

Remus met Harry's gaze and made sure that he kept his facial features hard. If he appeared relaxed, Harry would definitely wonder why he didn't appear more upset. Luckily, because of his current mood, it wasn't too difficult to look suitably angry.

Harry was red around the eyes and trembling with emotion.

"Molly told me most of the details," Remus said quietly.

Without speaking, Harry thrust a sheet of parchment and a small photograph in front of Remus. He took the items from Harry and examined them.

Ah yes, the picture. Severus had told him that Voldemort would require him to send something like this. Remus was more than confident of Severus's ability to brew a powerful pain blocking potion, and knew whole heartedly that while the potions master could at times be an arrogant prick, he was, when it came down to it, a good man.

Remus pulled Harry into a hug. When Remus stepped away from him he looked Harry straight in the eyes.

"You'll get her back," he said firmly. "I promise."

"Can you really say that for certain, Remus?" Harry asked, his voice breaking.

"I never promise something I cannot give," Remus said seriously.

"_He . . . he hurt her, Remus. _I'm sure by now, . . . he's . . . forced himself on her as well."

Remus's expression became steely.

He had no choice but to let Harry believe that. It's not like he could say, "Severus would never do such a thing," when Harry had what he thought was proof of Severus standing behind Hermione while she was tortured with the Cruciatus curse.

"There's a chance he didn't, Harry."

The expression on Harry's face told Remus that the teenager didn't think that chance was very high.

Harry slowly sank down to sit on the sofa. He closed his eyes in deep emotional pain, and let out a couple of ragged breaths. Remus glanced at Ron and Ginny. Ron looked ready to kill something with his bare hands and Ginny had a distant, detached look in her eyes.

Remus took a seat on the sofa next to Harry.

After a minute or two, Harry got his breathing a little more under control and opened his eyes.

Remus could tell that Harry was forcing himself not to cry.

Harry was definitely going to hate his guts for at least some duration of time when he found out Remus had let him go through this horrific pain for nothing.

"Remus," said Harry, his voice thick with unsuppressed grief. "How can you guarantee to me that even if I don't defy Voldemort's orders and go hunting for his Horcruxes, Voldemort won't kill her anyway?"

"Voldemort is aware that The Order has knowledge of spells that will determine if Hermione lives, and if she was killed, he knows there would be nothing to stop you from going after his Horcruxes. With her death on his hands you'd be more determined than ever. You must trust me when I say that he wants to avoid that at all costs."

Remus was relieved when Harry nodded in understanding.

"How long will the Order take to rescue her?" Harry asked quietly. "Molly and Arthur have made it pretty clear that I can't be risked in a fight against Voldemort right now, that I'm not ready to face him when my emotions are running so high"–

"And they're quite right. I know you hate that, but please, if ever you've listened to what I've told you, believe what I say to you now."

Harry didn't reply, but he didn't move to argue the point either.

"You'll make sure that everyone moves as fast as they can right?" Harry asked imploringly.

Remus inwardly tensed.

"We'll all work together to ensure that Hermione is found and freed as quickly as possible."

Again, Harry didn't respond.

"If you have everyone participating in organizing and executing the rescue mission, it won't take more than a few days,"

"Harry, I'm sorry, but I can't give you a definite time frame. We don't know where Voldemort's new place of residence is. Understand that we've been trying to find Severus for over six weeks and even with The Ministry's most advanced search methods there are no traces of either man. I'm afraid this could take a bit of time,"

"She's suffering," Harry said in an anguished tone. "And it's all because of me," he added in a low tone.

"Harry you mustn't blame yourself," Remus told him consolingly. "Just because Voldemort wants to eliminate you as a threat to him, doesn't mean that every evil act he commits in an attempt to gain more power is your fault. You couldn't have stopped this from happening. It was out of your control."

"Still, if Hermione wasn't my friend, she wouldn't be where she is now," Harry said quietly.

"Don't do this to yourself. It will do nothing to help the situation."

Ron spoke up for the first time.

"What will the Order do next?"

"I'd say that we'll combine our power into a group locating spell and focus on locating Hermione. In theory, doing so should give us a clear idea of where Voldemort is now hiding."

"And how long will that take?" Ron asked, more than a little demandingly.

"The spell could take up to four hours or more to provide clear information. I'm sure that will be done sometime in the next hour or so, once the Order can assemble."

Remus looked back at Harry.

"I need to go speak with Ron's parents," he said to him.

Harry nodded dejectedly

Remus took his leave of the three teens and found Molly and Arthur in the kitchen.

"You can't let Alastor talk with Harry," he told them in a low voice.

Molly raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? And other than the fact that Alastor openly loathes Severus enough to skin him alive and would happily hunt Severus down single handedly if given the chance, what does it matter to you?"

"I don't want to add fuel to the fire where Severus and Alastor are concerned. I don't trust that goddamned Auror to obey any orders we might give him."

"Fine. We'll try not involve Alastor. But what if it can't be helped?" Molly asked.

"Just do whatever you can to make sure that Alastor stays as far away from Harry as possible. I don't want Alastor coming up with his own asinine plan to save Hermione and then going off to execute it."

"Truthfully Remus, I don't think we have much control over Alastor. He's going to do what he wants to do whether we like it or not," Arthur told him seriously.

"Harry thinks The Order is going to do a combined energy locating spell to find Hermione sometime before the end of the night. When you talk to him, that's the story you should stick to."

"You're leaving now?" Molly asked.

"Yes, Molly. I'm leaving. I talked to Harry and I think I managed to get him to see reason. That being accomplished, there's nothing more for me to do here."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Nearly as soon as Remus returned to his flat, he heard the distinct sound of his front door being pummeled with a fist.

Remus let out an audible groan.

If Severus was behind that door, it could only mean trouble. Especially if he was knocking on the door like that.

"I'm coming!" he yelled on his way to open the door.

Upon seeing Severus standing in front of him, Remus met the other man's gaze with open displeasure. But then Remus realized that he saw something in Severus's eyes that he'd never seen before.

Severus's expression was the textbook picture of sincere concern.

Remus's stomach plummeted at what such a look on Severus's face could mean. His facial expression instantly changed from one of displeasure to one of alert anticipation.

He immediately stepped aside so that Severus could enter the flat.

"What's the matter?" Remus asked with more than a little trepidation.

"Sit down, Remus," Severus told him softly.

The sinking sensation in Remus's stomach grew more intense.

Severus _never_ acted like this. Something had to be horribly wrong.

"Hermione . . ." Remus ventured, real fear now clenching his heart.

"She's fine," Severus assured him.

"Then what"–Remus began, before Severus held up a hand to silence him.

"Voldemort wants you to come to him under Fenrir's control."

Remus's heart leapt to his throat.

Severus continued.

"Voldemort has given me the task of bringing you to his side. If you don't appear in front of him by nightfall tomorrow, my life will be forfeit."

Remus didn't immediately say anything. He didn't think he could speak past the lump in his throat. He bowed his head in silence.

"Look at me," Severus told him. Slowly, Remus raised his gaze to meet Severus's eyes. "I promise you that it won't last for long. Believe me, I know that's no consolation, but I can confidently say that it's the truth."

"What do you know that I don't?" Remus demanded.

Severus seemed to consider Remus for a few breaths before moving to speak again.

"Do you trust me?" Severus asked.

There was a fraction of a pause before Remus answered.

"Yes," he said quietly.

"Then you know that while I might sometimes lie to further my own agenda as a spy, I would never bend or twist the truth regarding a situation as grave as the one you've now been placed in,"

Remus nodded curtly.

"I advise you to take a double dose of the modified wolfsbane tomorrow. I've brought two doses with me. There's a chance that being close to Fenrir will tax the effectivity of the potion, but I'm confident that you'll be able to remain in control of your own will if you take a larger amount of the potion."

Severus set two glass containers of dark purple liquid on the table.

There was a stretch of palpable silence.

"You should know that Bellatrix Lestrange will take an interest in you."–

At this, Remus looked up sharply.

"You can't really be suggesting that I have sex with her, Severus. Even if as you say, she _is_ interested, surely I could refuse her without revealing the truth of my loyalty."

"If Fenrir Greyback wasn't part of this equation, I might be inclined to agree with you. But because Fenrir will fully believe that he has power over you, he will very likely attempt to test his control by suggesting that you fuck Bellatrix. If he does that, you will have no choice but to comply."

Bile quickly rose in Remus's throat and he struggled not to retch.

"No . . . . oh God no."

"Know that there was nothing I could have done differently to prevent this from happening," Severus said seriously.

"I don't blame you," Remus told him softly.

"Voldemort expects me to use a dark summoning spell to get you to Apparate to his headquarters. I'll need to enter your mind to give you a clear picture of the exact location."

Remus allowed Severus to mentally show him where to Apparate to.

"I'll be outside to meet you at precisely three p.m. tomorrow afternoon." Severus told him. "You'll want tonight to spend with Nymphadora."

"How do I explain this to her?" asked Remus, his voice pained.

"Simply tell her the truth,"

Remus nodded mutely.

"Nymphadora is a smart woman," said Severus, "She'll understand."

And with those words, Severus turned and left the flat, leaving Remus to decide what exactly he was going to say to his pregnant bride-to-be when she came to see him after working her desk job at the Ministry.

How he wished that Fate hadn't been so brutally cruel.

**A/N: **Next chapter is all Severus and Hermione. I'm going to leave it up to the reader's imagination in regards to how Remus breaks the news to Nymphadora. Next time you see Remus he'll be about to appear in front of Voldemort. And yes the Soul Bonding spell will be explained fully next chapter.


	32. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

Hermione sat reading through _Amor Veritas_, skimming over the various spells it contained to make certain that the Soul Bonding Spell she'd selected the night before was indeed the best one to use.

She blew out a long, almost silent sigh.

The good news was that the Love Bond Spell she'd shown to Severus was by far the most powerful spell mentioned in the book. The bad news? One of the requirements of the spell was that the two parties creating the Soul Bond had to abstain from sexual intercourse for two weeks before casting the spell.

The spell was completed when the Bonded couple made love and it noted that the long anticipation of the act made the release of the couple's passion all the more powerful, which contributed to the power and permanence of the spell.

Last night, she'd really wanted to take her former professor to bed, this time to consummate their love and not just their lust. The first time she'd had sex with Severus, lust had been the driving force. Love really hadn't entered into it at all.

The next time would be different.

But she'd have to wait. Though if truth be told, if she found an equally powerful spell that didn't specify that she had to refrain from sex for another week (thankfully it had already been one week since they'd first slept together), she'd be more than happy to use that one instead.

Hermione was brought out of her thoughts by the arrival of Severus.

He was looking especially grim.

Hermione knew he'd gone to tell Remus about what he'd had to promise Voldemort. Hermione could only imagine what Remus must be feeling right now. To be forced into something so torturous, especially after everything that happened, feeling all the pain of his transformations because of the modified potion and receiving the news that Nymphadora was going to have twins; the thought of what he'd go through made Hermione's heart sick.

"How did he take it?" Hermione ventured to ask.

"As well as could be expected," Severus replied, meeting her gaze openly, his eyes hiding nothing from her. "He'll come here tomorrow."

"What did he say?"

Severus sat down on the sofa beside her.

"He made a point to tell me that he doesn't blame me for this, though if I were in his shoes I rather doubt that I could say the same. But then, Remus never was one to lie about his feelings."

"What exactly did you tell him?"

Severus's eyes became eerily grave.

"I hid nothing from him. He knows that Bellatrix Lestrange will take a sexual interest in him and that he will have to satisfy her in order to keep from betraying his true loyalty."

Hermione didn't say anything for a long moment.

"That's going to destroy him," she said quietly.

Severus made no attempt to gainsay her.

"Bellatrix killed Sirius," he told her. "I'm am certain that pleasuring her will be more painful than any form of torture Voldemort could inflict."

"Remus and Sirius were like brothers weren't they?"

Severus exhaled a breath.

"No, Hermione. They were lovers."

It took Hermione a few seconds to absorb the information.

"That'll make it even worse for him,"

"Yes, it will. I'm sure he wants to kill her."

"This ordeal could really change him. After he gets through this, . . . I'll be surprised if he doesn't have serious issues regarding sex with women. It might take him a long time before he feels comfortable about making love with Nymphadora, he may involuntarily keep thinking of Bellatrix when he's intimate with her. For both of their sakes I really hope that doesn't happen. Remus deserves to be happy."

"Unfortunately, Hermione, people don't always get what they deserve."

"I know that," she said softly.

Hermione looked into the depths of Severus's eyes which were no longer a cold mask hiding what he was truly feeling.

"I did some more reading today," she told him. "I'm pretty confident that by bonding your soul to mine, the headaches you have will completely go away."

She gave him a small smile. Severus weakly returned it.

"I cannot deny that I've fallen in love with you. Days ago I wouldn't have been able to believe that I'd ever say that. But it's true."

Hermione's smile deepened.

"I hope you know that I'd never be able to look at another man the way I look at you. No man can hold a candle to you, Severus. I'd hate to think of what I'd do if I had to live my life apart from you." Hermione held his gaze steadily and her smile turned decidedly sexual. "I know that no other man could possibly _measure up_."

Severus's expression turned into a smirk.

"My, my, _Miss Granger, _one might conclude that you're purposefully insinuating something altogether _wicked_,"Severus intoned, his silky baritone a low purr.

Hermione raised her brows in mock surprise.

"Why Severus whatever do you mean?"

Severus let out a light snort, eliciting a peal of laughter from Hermione.

"As of late, I've been thinking more and more that you were sorted into the wrong House,"

"Mmm, I do look good in green if I do say so myself," said Hermione.

"I think you look better in nothing at all," Severus half growled.

Hermione grinned.

"Well, I can't go prancing around naked for you in public, but when we're alone that's a different story,"

Severus sent her a look that plainly said that he would hold her to that statement. Hermione warmed under his hot gaze.

She really wished that they didn't have to follow through with the abstaining from sex thing. The proof of her desire was pooling at her core. She moved her eyes from Severus's face and glanced down.

She could plainly see that he wished the very same thing.

She swallowed. What could she say?

"I really hate the fact that you can't make love to me right now,"

"What have I told you before?"

"That good things come to those who wait,"

"Indeed." He took a step closer to her. "And I guarantee that I'll make the experience well worth your wait."

"Six more nights, but it seems like an eternity."

"Yes, but remember that this is what makes the spell powerful. If it were easy to do this, there would be no build up of anticipation and thus no build up of pure, unadulterated, intense passion."

Hermione nearly shivered at his words.

_Pure, Unadulterated_, _Intense, Passion_

Hermione wondered if it were possible for a woman to orgasm from just hearing a man's voice. In her current state she was quite willing to believe that it was possible.

_Damn._

And they had to last an entire six nights?

If things continued as they were, it was going to be the longest six nights of Hermione's life.

_But oh how sweet the powerful release will be when it finally comes._

**A/N: **Sorry for the short chapter, the next one will be much longer I promise. :-)


	33. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

In the morning Hermione emerged from her room to find Severus busy steeping tea in the kitchen. In profile, his expression was hard and distant, but softened a few degrees when he turned his head to look at her as she drew near.

"You're thinking about Remus, aren't you?" she asked softly.

"Yes," he said, his tone flat.

"You're worried that he won't be able to keep up appearances," she told him. It was in no way a question.

Severus looked down at the Gryffindor in front of him, his incredibly dark eyes revealed his concern.

"I'd be lying if I said no," he told her frankly. "You must know that it is not my intention to scare you, . . ."

"But you want me to be aware that there's a possibility things won't go as planned." Hermione finished for him, her voice unexpectedly calm.

Severus did not immediately speak.

"I can't control Remus's actions," he said softly. "Even if, . . .Even if I put him under the Imperius Curse Hermione, Voldemort would detect the spell."

Hermione stared at him appalled that Severus would even think of such a thing, but at the same time understanding why he would want to use the spell.

Both of their lives were riding on Remus's ability to pretend he was Fenrir's heartless servant.

Hermione swallowed. She suddenly felt weak in the knees, she gripped the side of the countertop for extra support.

"You don't think he can do it?" she whispered.

"His life is certainly at stake as much as ours are," he told her seriously. "Remus is well aware of that. I'm sure he'll try his damndest to make his act convincing. But with Bellatrix factored into the equation, I'm not entirely confident that it will be good enough."

"Can't you do something to prevent Bellatrix's involvement?"

"What would I do?"

"Slip her some sort of potion that makes her fall violently ill,"

"If only it were that easy, Hermione. Don't you think I've already thought about this? I did not sleep for a single minute last night. I know Bellatrix Lestrange and if I were to somehow incapacitate her, she would immediately suspect that I was responsible for her illness. And now, after what's happened, she wouldn't be afraid to tell as much to Voldemort."

Hermione poured some tea, needing it to steady her nerves.

"We'll just have to trust Remus then," she said as resolutely as she could.

But even in her mind, she acknowledged the truth of Severus's concern.

_It's not exactly easy to trust the man to have sexual intercourse with the woman who killed the man he loved, is it Hermione?_

She took a sip of tea, savoring its rich flavor.

"Do you want something to eat?" Severus inquired.

Hermione shook her head.

The two of them moved to sit at the table.

For several minutes the pair just sat in silence.

"Remus has children on the way," Hermione said aloud, causing Severus to look up from staring into the depths of his teacup. "He's going to do whatever he has to in order to be around to see them. That has got to keep him focused when nothing else will,"

"For all of our sakes I hope you're right," Severus told her.

At ten minutes to three, Severus stepped out of the mansion to wait for Remus to arrive. He walked to the designated spot in the forest, not far from the mansion's main entrance.

The trees were old and the untouched wood would have been very beautiful had the almost tangible presence of evil that was Voldemort been absent.

Severus had not failed to notice that as time wore on, more and more wildlife had fled the forest surrounding the mansion. When Voldemort had first come to this property, the forest had been alive with life.

Now, only a small percentage of the forest's population of animals remained.

If Severus continued with his dark spells to locate Fawkes, he was either going to have to do so very conservatively as it would be increasingly harder to capture a rabbit or other mammal anywhere near Voldemort, or else he was going to have to find another way to locate the phoenix. Severus decided that he would to pursue the latter option.

At the moment, he didn't have any ideas readily in mind so it appeared he'd have to do some more research.

The distinct sound of Remus Apparating brought Severus from his thoughts.

Severus met the werewolf's gaze. He'd never seen Remus's eyes look so cold.

"Give me one week and this will be over," Severus told him.

Remus gave him a suspicious look.

"What the devil do you mean?"

"I can't explain. Please, Remus, trust me."

For a second, Severus expected Remus to scoff in his face, but instead he merely nodded.

Severus led the way back to the mansion. The two men walked in perfect silence, save for the crunching sound of branches and leaves being crushed underfoot.

Voldemort had assembled the whole of his forces at the mansion, including Fenrir and three scores of werewolves in the anticipation of Remus's arrival, or in the event that Severus was unable to produce him before nightfall, the commencement of Severus's very long and very painful death.

Severus saw that Remus walked resolutely, seemingly having already resigned himself to his fate.

The two men now ascended the steps that led to the grand building's heavy oak paneled front doors. The doors opened with an unspoken spell from Severus.

Severus escorted Remus down the mansion's main hallway, past Voldemort's private meeting room, to the back of the building where the corridor opened up into a huge high-ceilinged banquet room. The room was large enough to hold several hundred people comfortably and all of the Dark Lord's servants were currently engaged in eating a feast. Voldemort presided over the crowd in a throne-like chair raised upon an onyx dais.

All conversation abruptly ceased when Severus and Remus entered the room.

Voldemort's expression became particularly smug.

"Well, Bella, the proof that you and your sister were quite wrong about Severus now stands before your eyes," he announced in satisfaction.

His lips broke into a twisted parody of a smile.

"Please, come and join us, Severus, . . ._Remus."_

Bellatrix was struck speechless. It was obvious that she'd clearly expected him to come out empty handed in this latest endeavor.

Severus turned to her with a cool smile, the look in his eyes as frigid as ice.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Bella," Severus told her, his voice laced with intensely sarcastic venom. "You know, shock _really _doesn't become you."

Fenrir Greyback stepped out of the crowd of werewolves at the far end of the room and grinned savagely at Remus.

"So you come to me at last," he said to Remus.

"Better now than never, isn't that right Fenrir?" Remus asked flippantly.

"Indeed," Fenrir replied. "I always knew you had great potential Lupin. You are strong in body as well as in mind. I'm sure you will do much to strengthen our Dark Lord's power."

Remus let out a low half laugh, his green eyes sparkling with a malicious glint.

"Sounds like fun, Fenrir. Where do I start?"

Voldemort sat watching the verbal exchange with rapt interest.

"I daresay Fenrir, Remus may prove to be one of my most valuable allies yet. I can sense his power and it's much stronger than even yours."

Bellatrix stood up and approached Remus.

"Mmm, you're certainly quite a specimen, aren't you?" she purred. She reached up and put her hand along his jaw. To his credit, he did not flinch.

Severus breathed an inward sigh of relief.

"Very handsome," Bellatrix murmured. "But are you really as powerful as your appearance would suggest?"

Remus snorted derisively.

"I think I'll let you be the judge of that," he told her. He then pulled her against him and claimed her lips in a brutal kiss. Bellatrix responded eagerly.

"The werewolf is ours!" Voldemort shouted triumphantly.

A raucous cheer erupted in the chamber, filling the air.

After a moment the cheering died down and Remus and Bellatrix broke apart. Bellatrix was more than pleased.

"You must tell me Severus, how you managed to accomplish this task on such short notice," Voldemort said, one thin black brow raised in question.

"It was easier then you might think, My Lord. I broke into his flat in London and switched out his wolfsbane for a potion I made that would destroy his humanity. It was the same color and I was able to give it the illusion of tasting the same as the wolfsbane. The main component in the serum was demon's blood, and with your . . . shall I say, . . . _connections_ to the Evil Ones it wasn't hard for me to call on one of the females and obtain some."

It was a legend among Dark Wizarding communities that if a wizard called on a succubus and was then able to sexually satisfy her thoroughly enough, the demon would then grant him a reward.

Demon's blood had scores of different uses ranging from being a potent completely undetectable poison if brewed in combination with specific ingredients, to being one of the world's most powerful aphrodisiacs which had a black market value of about five thousand galleons.

And if brewed in a potion by a particularly skilled potions master, demon's blood could be used to create a potion that permanently stripped a person of their humanity.

Voldemort smiled in approval.

"You've done well, Severus. Bellatrix should never have doubted you. Though wasn't his place of residence well warded against our kind? The entire Order of the Phoenix is obsessively paranoid about taking extra precautions to ensure their safety from us attacking them. As you're unable to do magic outside of this property, however did you succeed in getting past the security spells?"

"The wards were there and they surely would have prevented all but the most forceful magical intrusion, but when using Muggle means to gain access to the inside, the magical wards might as well not have been there at all. It's amazing that something as simple as a common lock pick can accomplish what magic cannot."

It was now Severus's turn to look smug.

"I see. It's certainly in my favor to have as resourceful a man as you among my loyal Death Eaters."

Severus held Voldemort's crimson brown gaze with calm composure.

"I am truly pleased to be of service, My Lord," said Severus reverently.

The look in Voldemort's eyes was not one entirely without suspicion. It was as if Voldemort wasn't certain that he wanted to trust Severus and he wanted Severus to know it.

He'd said his words as if he now trusted Severus implicitly, but the cold shadow of Voldemort's eyes told Severus that he was still perceived as a possible threat.

Though this time, it was not due to misplaced loyalty. No, this time, it was because Voldemort was beginning to feel threatened by Severus's power.

When Severus left the banquet hall an hour later, he had an unusually vicious headache. His head was spinning and the edges of his vision were blurred.

Sharp intense pain sliced through his skull. Severus guessed that he was essentially having two headaches in one since he like any other mortal man was prone to the common headache, and there was nothing to prevent a normal headache from occurring at the same time as one of the incapacitating headaches from his severed Soul Bond with Lily.

Hermione was reading the last couple pages of _The Feminine Spirit_ when Severus came through the door. As soon as he saw her she turned her attention to him, quickly setting the book down on the floor.

The first thing she noticed was that he was in great pain.

Hermione immediately went to him and walked him to the sitting area.

"You're muscles are much too tense," she told him softly, respectful of the fact that even a normal speaking voice might magnify his pain. "Let me give you a massage,"

"That really isn't necessary," he told her in a strained tone.

"I guarantee it will make you feel better," she told him honestly. "Sit on the carpet in front of the sofa."

Severus didn't argue any further. Gingerly, he sank to the floor and leaned his back against the leather sofa. Hermione sat on the sofa directly behind his neck, crossing her legs comfortably before reaching forward to knead Severus's shoulders with her hands.

Severus leaned into her touch. Amazingly enough, Hermione was beginning to work some of the pain from his body. She obviously knew what she was doing, taking care to relieve the tension in just the right spot, working methodically in precise movements and patterns, applying steady soothing pressure.

"My mum says that I could make a fortune being a massage therapist," she told him. "But I want to work in a Magical Community and told her that I didn't know if the Wizarding World had day spas."

"It does," was all that Severus said as he leaned his head back, his eyes closed.

"Really? I think I might have to look into it then,"

There was a minute or two of calm silence until Hermione spoke again.

"Severus?"

"Yes?"

"How did everything go today?"

"You were right about Remus," Severus told her. "He's taking great pains to ensure that Voldemort believes him to be a truly loyal servant."

Hermione responded after a moment of silence and when she did, she didn't press the topic any further.

"Did you tell him anything about your plan?"

"No. But I did tell him that a week from now things would be different."

"And what did he say to that?"

"Not much. He's going to trust my word."

"I think you should have told him what you're going to do," Hermione said very quietly.

Severus let out an audible exhalation.

"Maybe I should have, but it's too late now and I have too much on my mind right now to worry about it."

"I haven't asked you yet, but I'll do so now, how exactly are you planning to attract Fawkes here?"

There was a stretch of silence that Hermione didn't like.

"That is the one thing I need to work out as soon as possible. For whatever reason, my Dark Spells aren't enough to let me see where the bird is now."

"Can you make at least a good guess as to the reason?"

"First I thought that the phoenix was purposefully concealing himself, but that doesn't seem likely because most magical creatures don't think like we do. It's almost as if the phoenix is trapped and concealed by an opposing Dark Spell. Quite frankly, I'd like to think that _that_ isn't the case. But it's next to impossible to capture a phoenix against its will so that appears to be the least likely possibility. When the time comes I'm going to use the same Calling Spell that Dumbledore used to summon Fawkes and essentially hope that it will be enough. I honestly don't know what else to do."

"Professor McGonagall told me about Familiar Calling once when she saw that I'd checked a book out of the library about it during fourth year. We had tea in her office and she told me that if two people combined their power in the Calling of a specific creature, the Call would get to the creature faster. I think she told me that ordinarily, if the creature was a great distance away, the Call could take hours, maybe even days to reach the familiar. But if a Call came from a source of combined power it would take almost no time at all and the familiar would then appear nearly immediately."

After Hermione had spoken, Severus turned to face her. The look on his face told Hermione that this was one of the few pieces of magical information that he didn't already know.

"Is the spell the same as it would be for a normal Calling?" he asked her steadily.

"Yes."

"Then, Hermione, this is our answer. We will combine our power and cast the spell together."

"What, no objections that it might be too dangerous for me to participate?"

"No. In this, I need your help. To refuse it in the current situation could cost us our lives. Time is not on our side."

Severus did not tell Hermione that Voldemort now weighing the pros and cons of eliminating him. Severus had seen it in his eyes.

No, time was certainly not on their side. They needed to end this as soon as possible.

**A/N: **Only about six more chapters left. But don't cry, I'm most definitely writing a sequel. Next chapter will have more of Severus and Hermione and also Draco and his mother make their first appearance! And Draco has a secret or two! Get ready for a wild ride, because these next few chapters will be full of surprises and twists.


	34. Chapter 33

05/08/2006 11:39:00

Chapter 33

The next evening, after a light dinner of fruit and breakfast rolls, Hermione and Severus discussed the specifics of how to locate Fawkes.

"Why did you choose to use a Dark Spell to find Fawkes when it would have been easier to cast just a regular finding spell?" Hermione asked.

"I _did _cast a regular spell before I did anything else. The result was the same, I saw an image of a sunlit landscape, but nowhere could I see or even sense the presence of Dumbledore's phoenix."

Hermione blew out a sigh. She supposed that had been a stupid question. It would stand to reason that Severus would first attempt a spell of the non Dark variety before even thinking about trying anything else. Still, he hadn't said anything about it before now and she'd felt the need to ask.

"Is it really necessary for us to know exactly where he is before casting our combined Calling spell?" Hermione asked at length.

"That all depends on the reason why I am unable to determine the phoenix's whereabouts. If it's due to the phoenix's own magic, then the answer would be no. If it's due to something else, . . ." Severus trailed off and raised his gaze to meet Hermione's.

"So what are you going to do next now that we're running out of time?"

"Under normal circumstances, I'd think it prudent to cast the locating spell with the combined power of two or more people and see what the results yielded then. But unfortunately, these circumstances are anything but normal."

"If there wasn't such a high risk of Voldemort sensing my magic, I'd be more than willing to help you with the spell," Hermione told him. "The book says that dark magic cannot detect the combined spells of two people whose souls are bonded. I don't suppose you can hold off on the locating spell until after we've cast the soul bonding spell?"

Severus shook his head.

"That will cost us extra time,"

"Then what are you going to do?"

Severus was quiet for a moment.

"You and I could try a combined locating spell, if I shielded your spell from Voldemort's consciousness."

"That would be quite taxing on you. Physically, mentally, and magically."

"I don't see that there is an alternative,"

Hermione pressed her lips into a tight line. She didn't have to say anything because she knew that Severus was well aware that she was unhappy with this new idea. Though she made no move to contradict him, acknowledging that he was right.

But that didn't mean she had to like it.

"When do you want to do this combined power locating spell?" she asked.

"My power will be the strongest in the morning after a night's rest, so we should do it early tomorrow."

"You're really going to risk draining yourself of all your magical power?"

"I won't be using Legilimency for a prolonged period of time. That was the trigger for my previous loss of power. I don't believe it will happen again."

"But it's not outside the realm of possibilities," Hermione said very quietly. Then louder, "Have you done this type of spell shielding before?"

"Yes. When Lily was alive I had to shield every spell she did around me to prevent Voldemort from learning of our connection."

"I trust you as much as I trust my own father. And I admit that this appears to be our best course of action. I just hope that our efforts are rewarded and that we don't end up with nothing gained."

Inside Azkaban, Kingsley Shacklebolt walked down the main corridor of the ground floor. He was on his way to meet with Mad-Eye Moody. He'd just received word that Narcissa and Draco Malfoy had been brought into custody.

Kingsley had requested that he be the first person to question Draco, and fortunately Mad-Eye was willing to grant the request. Kingsley hadn't told the old auror the precise reason why he wanted to talk to the youngest Malfoy, only that he wanted to give the boy the benefit of the doubt and speak to Draco in a manner that wouldn't be intimidating.

Kingsley didn't have to wonder how Mad-Eye would have treated the teen.

In Mad-Eye's mind there was only one way to question the son of two of the most powerful Death Eaters. His expression had turned practically gleeful at the thought of interrogating the young Slytherin.

Now, one thing burned at the forefront of the Nigerian's mind.

The day after Dumbledore's death, Kingsley had gotten a two sentence letter from Hogwart's late headmaster. After performing the necessary spells to verify that it had actually been written by Dumbledore himself, Kingsley had had no choice but to accept the words written in Albus's fluid handwriting as the truth.

But they hadn't told him very much.

The letter had read:

_Draco Malfoy is acting. You must speak to him for you are the only one who will understand._

What precisely did Dumbledore mean by "acting"? And why on earth was _he_ the only one who would understand?

After turning the words over and over in his mind, Kingsley could come up with no explanation.

_Why would Albus think I'm any different from the rest of the Order?_

At least now he finally had the opportunity to get a satisfactory answer.

Kingsley met Mad-Eye outside one of the prison's interrogation rooms. Moody turned his attention to Kingsley after he was finished giving orders to the two wardens that stood flanking the door.

"He's all yours Shacklebolt. Just remember, that if you have any difficulty, I'll be around to try my hand at getting the truth out of him. These fine gentlemen know where to find me."

Mad-Eye left the corridor slowly, as if hoping that Kingsley would decide to call him back at the last minute and let him carry out the questioning on his own.

_Sorry Alastor, no such luck._

Kingsley watched Alastor retreat down the hallway for a brief moment and then turned his attention to the room in front of him. One of the guards opened the door and Kingsley entered the small chamber to find Draco Malfoy sitting at a plain wooden table.

The heavy door slammed shut behind him and Kingsley calmly met the teenager's gaze.

Malfoy regarded him steadily, his hands folded on top of the table.

"I trust you received Dumbledore's note?" he asked.

Draco _knew_ Dumbledore had communicated with him?

Kingsley moved further into the room and sat down in the chair opposite Draco.

"Yes, the day after he died," Kingsley told him.

Kingsley didn't tell him what it had said.

"There's not really a "_good_" place to start, for any place is as good as any other since everything is so damned complicated. But when we're through here, I think you'll understand why I had to keep my secrets."

"Perhaps you can start by elaborating on why Dumbledore stated that you were acting."

Draco smiled thinly.

"That's all Albus told you? That I was acting? The man truly was cryptic until the end."

"Draco, what did he mean?"

"I am not now, nor have I ever been an aspiring Death Eater. Dumbledore liked to say that I was the polar opposite of my parents." Draco took a deep breath and exhaled audibly. "Had my mother and father known how truly unlike them I was, they would not have hesitated to kill me, making it look like an accident. And if not them, certainly my dear Aunt Bellatrix." Draco paused, thinking about what he'd just said. "I know what you must be thinking. If my life was in such danger why did I never openly join the Order to seek protection? The truth is that things weren't that simple."

"How do you mean?"

"For one, if I had joined the Order I never would have been able to give Albus valuable information about things my parents were involved in. For another, I had to keep up the act in order for certain events to transpire as they were meant to happen." At this, Draco gave Kingsley a half smile. "I'm afraid I'll have to hold off on that explanation for a minute. After every school holiday, I'd report to Dumbledore on what I knew my family was doing for Voldemort."

_This all seems fairly straightforward. It might be a lot of detailed information, but I don't see why Albus would specifically say that I was the only one who would acknowledge that the boy was speaking the truth. And even then, if that was all there was to it, could the Order not give the lad Veritaserum?_

Kingsley sighed.

"All right, so you're telling me that you were a spy of sorts for Albus during your years at Hogwarts."

"Of sorts, yes. Starting at the beginning of my second year."

"Why didn't Albus inform the Order of your loyalty to him?" asked Kingsley.

"Would the Order have taken his word at face value?"

Kingsley briefly hesitated. Considering the fact that Draco's parents were Narcissa Black and Lucius Malfoy, he was almost certain that the Order would have required proof that Draco was not acting on behalf of his parents. Everyone knew that the pair would have loved to have their son be their own personal spy in the Order.

"Could he not have provided some sort of proof?" Kingsley questioned.

"Yes, he could have. And I certainly could have given you proof myself, but. . . as it was, I could not risk anyone on _his_ side learning of my true colours. Had that happened, it would have significantly changed how events played out."

"What exactly, did you need to do that it held such an importance?"

Draco held his gaze with somber intensity.

"I've been keeping more than just the truth about my loyalty a secret from my family and the Order of the Phoenix. You see, when I was fourteen I developed a rare magical ability. Dumbledore was the only person who knew of it. Now there's no need for secrecy. My ability is quite rare, and I'm sure that some people will be quick to tell you that such a power doesn't exist."

_Hm, and one such man's name is Alastor Moody. All right Draco, so you have a considerably unique ability. What is it?_

Draco grew quiet for a few seconds.

"I really hope that Albus was right in trusting you to be the one to hear this," Draco said soflty.

"Tell me what your ability is," Kingsley said gently.

"I can see people's souls, and know if they are evil."

Kingsley breathed deeply and exhaled slowly.

In truth, he hadn't ever heard of anything like it being documented. But that didn't mean he was ready to discount the teen as a liar. Really, Draco had no reason to lie now.

And somehow, beyond that, Kingsley sensed that Draco spoke the truth.

Kingsley wasn't sure what to say to the boy that wouldn't inadvertently sound skeptical.

There was a period of a few seconds' silence before Draco spoke again.

"Did Dumbledore ever speak to you about his religion, Kingsley?" Draco asked seriously.

"No, I don't recall that he did,"

Draco nodded, as if this confirmed something.

"Albus told me that you lived over half of your life in Nigeria," Draco told him, almost conversationally.

Kingsley blinked.

"Yes, that's correct. But why are we suddenly talking about me, Mister Malfoy when this discussion is about you?" Kingsley's tone was curious.

"The vast majority of Nigerian Wizarding communities worship the Goddess of Magic," Draco stated.

"Yes, . . . why is this relevant?"

"Are you, yourself, a religious man?" Draco asked.

"You're asking if I believe in the Goddess?" Draco nodded. "Yes, Draco I do."

"Then you'll know that Her symbol is an eight pointed star."

Kingsley nodded curtly, his patience was beginning to wear thin.

Without another word, Draco stood up and turned around so that his back faced Kingsley. He then raised his shirt in so that Kingsley got a good view of the silver tattoo on his back. The palm-sized tattoo was of the eight pointed star of the Goddess Taenara.

Kingsley's eyes widened in surprise.

"How did you get that?" Kingsley asked as calmly as he could manage. Kingsley was well aware that at least in Nigerian Wizarding villages, those who had such a mark were said to be touched by Taenara and were revered as her chosen servants.

Much of the time, the Goddess gifted those servants with significant power.

Draco dropped his shirt and turned around again.

"I serve your Goddess. That is the mark from Her palm."

At this, Kingsley wasn't sure how he should respond.

Now Dumbledore's words finally made sense. Albus had known that he would be the only Order member who knew of the Goddess's existence.

Draco gave Kingsley another slight smile.

"It's pretty unbelievable, right?"

Considering everything he'd heard, Kingsley wasn't one hundred percent certain that he shouldn't jump to his feet and make an elaborate obeisance to the boy before him. Kingsley studied Draco's face and noticed that his grey eyes gravely serious.

"Being raised to worship Taenara, have you ever wondered why the whole of the British Wizarding appears to be unaware of Her existence, Kingsley?"

"Perhaps a time or two, but I was taught that Taenara isn't a selfish deity, if people chose to believe in another higher power, she isn't going to make them change their minds."

Draco sighed. It was a long and weary sound.

"I can tell you that that's true, but only in the sense that Taenara cares too much about the planet's Wizarding population to make her presence undeniably known to all."

"What do you mean?"

"Would you agree that we, being wizards enjoy privileges in life that are not given to the world's Muggle population?"

"Well yes, I suppose so, but—"

Kingsley was cut off by Draco holding up his hand for silence.

"It is because of Taenara that the world has wizards and witches and all of its magical creatures. It was She who created magic."

Kingsley nodded in agreement.

"Taenara is not the only deity to have created life on Earth. For if that were the case, everyone alive would have the power to use magic. After Taenara had given humans the power that resides inside every witch and wizard, many of the other gods became angry because the humans with magic were superior to those without it. We live considerably longer lives and have more power. So, ultimately the Fates decreed that Taenara keep Her existence a secret from the overwhelming majority of the world's population of Wizards. If She refused to step down, so to speak, the Fates vowed that they would personally punish every living thing She had created, by letting supreme Evil into our world as if it was a personal playground. So instead of causing an epic war between Good magic and Dark, Taenara agreed to let almost all of the human witches and wizards forget about Her. She now appears to a select few, like myself, whom She picks to help prevent whatever payback the Fates throw at the world's Magical population."

Draco stopped for a few seconds, allowing Kingsley to absorb the information.

"Today, much of the British Wizarding population uses the name of Merlin as the equivalent of referring to the Christian-Judeo God in exclamation. Did you know that Merlin was in fact Taenara's first Chosen Servant?"

"No, I must confess I didn't."

"It's a damn shame that our world lives in such incredible ignorance. Most people think that House Elves really are elves and that to even suggest that there was another race of beings whose intellect rivaled and very often surpassed our own, people would refer you straight to St. Mungo's. It really is a damn shame."

"Do you . . . speak often with Taenara?"

"This truly is quite difficult to accept, isn't it?"

"No, . . .not precisely. . . but I won't deny that it's more than a bit surprising."

Draco nodded.

"To answer your question, yes, She and I have dialogue frequently."

"I see. Will you tell me now why you had to take such great pains to pretend that you were loyal to your parents?"

"I'm afraid I can't really get into specifics at the moment. What I can tell you is that Taenara is trying her damndest to thwart the Fates' latest plan for the Wizarding World's destruction, and I played a key role in furthering The Goddess's advantage."

Kingsley frowned.

"What do you know that the Order doesn't?"

Draco smiled.

"A lot of things. And some point later on I can sit down and divulge some more of what I know, but that point in time is not now."

Kingsley stared at Draco, knowing that if everything Draco said really was true, Draco had more power at eighteen than most wizards had at eighty. The auror found himself trusting the boy, but still there was good reason to be careful.

A drawing of a silver star and a detailed explanation were not concrete proof that Draco was telling the truth. Even after everything he'd heard, there was still a chance that the young Slytherin was playing him.

But as soon as the thought had entered Kingsley's mind Draco spoke again.

"I know that Dumbledore was already dying when Severus killed him. And I know that Severus is as loyal to the Order as Dumbledore was."

"I don't suppose you could ask Taenara to appear to us now, could you?"

"Of course I could ask her, there's just no guarantee she'd actually come. And it's not because she doesn't value me as one of her Own. Every time she makes herself known to someone who has never seen her, the Fates retaliate. You have to realise that sometimes, it's not worth it for Her."

"Indeed."

"Now look, there is something I need to tell you. My mother has Salazar Slytherin's ring in her possession. She's going to try to use it as a bargaining chip. Listen, no matter what she says, don't let her get away with giving it to you in exchange for her release. The ring has no value to The Order."

Kingsley's expression became puzzled.

"I was told that the ring is able to be used as key ingredient in a potion that destroys Horcruxes."

Draco leveled his gaze on Kinglsey's. His eyes were intensely serious.

"That's not true."

"Draco, please forgive me, but I cannot in good conscience believe that after everything you've done to show the world that you are just like your parents."

Draco paled.

"No, please trust me! Don't believe my mother's lies."

"I'm sorry, but you just haven't given me enough proof. I've only been talking to you for less than a quarter of an hour, to believe you on you word alone now would be more than a bit foolish on my part."

"What proof do you want me to give you?" Draco asked imploringly.

Kingsley hesitated, thinking about what else Draco could tell him that would strengthen his belief in the boy.

He wasn't given the time to decide on something for the sound of a woman's voice jerked his head up to look next to Draco.

He suddenly realized that the woman had said his name.

"Am I enough proof of Draco's honesty?" she asked him with a playful smile.

Kingsley could do nothing to stop a look of shock from registering on his face. The woman standing beside the table wore a pale blue Greco-Roman style gown. She stared at him with with bright blue eyes. Her face was framed with long sable brown hair.

Draco gave the goddess a genuine smile.

Taenara continued to stare at Kingsley; it appeared that he'd lost the ability to speak. She raised an elegant brow and patiently waited for the auror to say something.

Kingsley could scarcely get his mind to form a coherent thought, let alone a full logical sentence.

A voice in the back of his mind told him that it would probably be a good idea to kneel on the floor, but his brain could not get his muscles to cooperate.

It was quite impossible for anyone to Apparate within Azkaban's walls. And the being standing beside Draco had made no sound upon appearing.

He really was looking at a goddess.

Taenara cocked her head to the side, studying him.

"You _are_ allowed to speak to me, you know. I shan't turn you into a toad or anything like that."

"I-I was clearly wrong to doubt Draco's story," Kingsley said at last, his eyes never leaving Taenara's.

"No, Kingsley, not wrong, you were merely being safely cautious. And that is something not even I can fault you on," Taenara told him.

"What am I to tell the rest of the Order?" Kingsley asked quietly.

"I'm afraid there's not much you can tell them," Draco told him. "Tell them that my mother's plot was to expose Severus as a spy for the Order and because she believed Severus could never kill Dumbledore, she forced me to try to kill him so that our family would rise to the highest rank within Voldemort's inner circle. My mother's always been such a selfish bitch, and that story certainly fits with her character. The Order will be sure to buy it, just make certain you mention parental coercion and all that."

"When you get out of here, where are you going to go?" Kingsley asked.

"My parents house is as safe as any other place right now."

Kingsley nodded.

"Can you at least tell me why you went to Australia?" Kingsley inquired seriously.

"My mother was there to hide from the Ministry. I was there to do something for Taenara."

Kingsley moved his gaze back to the goddess's.

"I won't ever see you again, will I?"

"I do not know. I hope to one day appear to the race of humans I created and let all know of my existence. But I cannot say when, or even if, that day will come."

"I understand."

"Good. I hope someday we will meet again, and when we do the Fates' will be powerless to punish me and my Creation for it."

She gave him one last smile and disappeared as if she had never been there at all.

Kingsley regarded Draco questioningly, knowing that the boy was not going to give up any further information.

He still had so many questions.

But he wasn't sure if he should worry about them, for he wasn't sure if he would ever get them answered.

At an hour past dawn the next morning, Severus and Hermione knelt on the floor in front the square mirror that had been hanging on the wall.

Hermione was holding her wand for the first time since coming to the mansion.

Severus was kneeling behind her, his right hand holding his wand, his left hand resting on her shoulder. Hermione turned her head around to look at him.

"You're quite certain you're ready?"

Severus nodded in affirmation.

"On my count of three then," Hermione told him. "One, . . . two, . . . three."

Together, in one perfectly synchronized movement Hermione and Severus raised their wands to point at a spot in the air directly above the mirror.

They both thought of Fawkes, visualizing him in their minds as detailed as they could. And as a jet of white light came out of Hermione's wand, Hermione could feel a wall of power at her back, it's strength stronger than steel.

An identical jet of light came out of Severus's wand. It met and merged with Hermione's light, forming a diaphanous sphere that slowly floated down to sink into the surface of the mirror. A dome of sparkling light settled over the mirror for several long seconds. Then, when it seemed like the light would remain indefinitely, the dome was pulled inside the mirror, the intensity of the light fading as it shrunk into the flat surface.

At last, an image appeared.

Fawkes was sitting in a tree over a river, fastidiously grooming the scarlet feathers on his back.

"If Fawkes has truly been there all this time, why didn't my spells work?" Severus questioned aloud.

His gaze was intense and he did not look away from the mirror. "I tried this same spell on more than one occasion," he said softly.

After a few more seconds, satisfied with what he'd seen, Severus released the magical shield that had been protecting Hermione's spell and the mirror instantly became blank.

Hermione turned around to face Severus.

"Are you all right?" she asked, brushing her hand over the side of his face.

"Yes, my power was not depleted in any way,"

His voice was oddly detached.

"I don't understand what I did wrong," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"At least now we know that no harm has befallen him," said Hermione, trying to sound positive. "Perhaps the spell could only be properly cast with the power of two people working together."

"Perhaps," Severus said softly, though his tone wasn't that confident.

Hermione gave him a small smile and then placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

"Come, you should have something to eat and drink," she told him. She rose to her feet and watched as Severus did the same.

Severus walked with Hermione into the kitchen.

"My previous spells were all flawlessly cast. There has to be reason why I could never see the phoenix."

"Maybe Dumbledore put a protection spell on Fawkes and it didn't completely wear off until recently," Hermione suggested to him, at a loss for any other reason.

"I don't think so, Hermione. But I can't think for the life of me what would have prevented it."

"You really didn't expect our combined spell to work as well as it did, did you?"

"No, after everything I did, I saw no reason to expect this spell's outcome to be any different. But I had to at least try,"

"Is there something you can do to find out why your spells failed to show Fawkes to you?"

"Unfortunately, no."

"I can certainly understand why not knowing would be aggravating."

"I really wish I knew. But I don't suppose I'll ever learn the reason."

**A/N: **This is the longest chapter yet! Please don't be silent on this one!

Next chapter: H and S bond their souls.


	35. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

It was mid-afternoon on the third day that Remus had been at the mansion. In those three days Remus Lupin had endured an emotional agony so brutal that his soul was permanently affected. In a mere 72 hours, Remus had lost a part of himself that would never be regained.

The man he'd been a week ago, before he'd been forced into this hellish reality was gone forever.

At the present moment, He lay naked next to the heartless bitch who had coldly murdered Sirius.

_The one man he'd loved more than anything else in this world._

Demanding female hands reached for him, nails scoring his flesh in insistent need.

In three days he'd had sex with Bellatrix more than a dozen times.

How many times exactly? He didn't know. The instances of the act itself had all blurred together in his mind, new scratches and bite marks on his body the only things that marked how many times he'd serviced her.

Deep inside his soul was still screaming, though of course there was no outward sign of it. One of Bellatrix's hands moved down to clutch his cock.

The very core of his soul shuddered at the touch.

The fact that she could make him hard at all filled him with an intense self-loathing. The fact that he pretended to actually enjoy what she was doing to him sickened his heart far beyond most men's breaking point.

Remus stared at her, forcing himself to somehow feign lust for her.

It would be so easy just to snap her neck.

The one thing that prevented him from doing exactly that was the knowledge that if he killed Bellatrix, Voldemort would know that Severus had deceived him and Hermione would surely fall into Voldemort's hands.

When Severus had warned that Bellatrix would want to have sex with him, Remus had mistakenly thought that it would be a one time thing.

If it had been one time, he could have forced his mind to lock the memory away and forget about it.

But this? No, he could never forget.

He'd spent _hours_ rutting with her, satisfying her sexual hunger. And her lust for him didn't appear to be diminishing any time soon.

Draco stood on the balcony of Malfoy Manor's master bedroom, his eyes fixed on the horizon where the tops of the old trees met the skyline. It was mid-twilight and facing west, only a mere sliver of sun was visible to his eye. A soft summer breeze blew against his hair. Draco lifted a cup of tea to his lips and watched as two deer emerged from the trees to graze in the meadow below the balcony.

Taenara stood behind him. Her simple dove grey gown appeared darker than it really was in the growing shadows.

"I've done as much as I can," Taenara said very softly. "It is now out of my hands,"

Draco turned to meet the goddess's gaze.

"The Muggles have a saying; _the die has been cast, _derived from the original Latin '_alea iacta est_'."

Taenara smiled slightly.

"So they do, Draco."

"One way or another, things will have changed by tomorrow night."

"Yes, either Severus will succeed in killing Voldemort, or he will fail and the three Fates will make sure that Voldemort destroys everything I've fought so hard to preserve."

Draco knew that Voldemort was a weapon created by the Fates to destroy everything Taenara held dear in Magical Britain.

The Fates also had tried their damndest to prevent Severus Snape and Hermione Granger from becoming two of Taenara's most powerful allies.

At this moment, their future was still up in the air.

The Fates had made a spectacular attempt at stopping Severus and Hermione from falling in love. For together, Severus and Hermione would be ten times stronger than they could ever be alone.

Taenara had countered the Fates' every move with a strategic move of Her own.

She had given Hermione nightly dreams that would cause her to suspect Severus's innocence in Dumbledore's cold blooded murder.

She had made Albus promise to prevent Severus from taking the life of his phoenix, for if Severus had first killed Fawkes and then Dumbledore when Hermione was not yet an adult, Severus and Hermione would never have fallen in love.

She had asked Draco to shield Fawkes from Severus's locating spells until he had decided to bond his soul with Hermione's.

And sadly, Taenara knew full well that when Voldemort was dead and gone the Fates would not hesitate to send Her magical world another powerful enemy.

Even if Severus succeeded in ridding the world of Lord Voldemort, the Fates would quickly send another evil being to take his place.

Taenara feared that the next dark force the Fate's unleashed would be a dozen times more powerful than Voldemort.

No matter what happened, she could not win the battle right now. Though she hated the thought of facing something stronger and far more intelligent, to do nothing was equally detrimental to the safety of Her world. If she had not subtly manipulated events so that Severus and Hermione were brought together, the Fates would not have suddenly relented on their attack on everything She'd created.

She needed two allies such as Severus and Hermione. And if the Fates were more angry at Her than usual for bringing them together so that they could fight for Her, that was a small price Taenara would have to pay in the grand scheme of things.

At present she had precious few witches and wizards working to restore what She created to what it once had been. If she had Severus and Hermione among those who fought for Her, it would certainly level the playing field a bit more.

Though the Fates already hated Her, they would hate Her even more if she succeeded in bringing Severus and Hermione to her fighting force.

If Severus was able to kill Voldemort and he survived to tell the tale, Taenara would make herself known to him and Hermione.

She would restore Severus's ability to sire a child.

As Voldemort was the Fate's personal weapon against Her, Severus, Hermione and their children would be Taenara's own personal weapons against them.

But in exchange for that victory, what would the Fates throw at her in retaliation?

Taenara feared that an epic war was in the future.

When that war would come she was not certain, it might be a decade or a century. But it _would_ come.

"Have you any idea what the Fates will do next if Severus proves to be successful?" Draco asked.

"No, Draco. In this I am not omniscient. Your guess would be as good as mine. All I can tell you is that they surely won't wait long before striking again."

Taenara didn't say anything more for a few seconds.

"I honestly hope that my efforts will pay off."

Draco looked into Taenara's eyes.

"I believe they will."

The night on which Severus and Hermione bonded their souls was clear and moonless. Just past midnight, the two of them knelt facing each other on Severus's bed, Hermione at the head and Severus at the foot.

Both were nude for the powerful spell.

Severus's gaze was fixed on Hermione's face.

She smiled at him.

"Shall we begin?" she asked.

"I'll create a shield around your spell as soon as you start it,"

Hermione raised her left hand, palm towards Severus and Severus placed his left hand against hers.

In her right hand, Hermione held her wand. She pointed it at their wrists.

"On this night, at this hour I seek to bond my soul with yours. I willingly give my heart to you. It is yours forever."

As soon as Hermione spoke those words, a thin band of white-gold light came out of the end of her wand and wrapped itself around both their wrists.

The Soul Bonding was not all that dissimilar to the Unbreakable Vow. The basic magical principles involved were the same.

"My soul shall strengthen yours when facing Darkness. My love for you is eternal. It shall never weaken and never die."

After these words the band of pearlescent light settled onto the surface of Hermione and Severus's skin.

Hermione gracefully lowered her wand and Severus continued the spell.

He held his wand at their wrists.

"On this night, at this hour I seek to bond my soul with yours. I willingly give my heart to you. It is yours forever."

Another thin stream of light encircled their wrists.

"My soul shall strengthen yours when facing Darkness. My love for you is eternal. It shall never weaken and never die."

It was now Hermione's turn again.

"Severus Snape, do you accept this spell as being irreversible and binding?"

"I forever do," Severus said firmly, reciting the required words of the spell.

"Will you honour this sacred bond between us above all else?"

"I forever will," he said with conviction.

The two bands of light settled into Severus's skin.

"Hermione Granger, do you accept this spell as being irreversible and binding?" Severus asked clearly.

"I forever do,"

"Will you honour this sacred bond between us above all else?"

"I forever will," Hermione told him, speaking from deep within her heart.

The light merged with her skin.

The spell was now nearly complete.

Severus immediately leaned forward, capturing Hermione's lips with his own.

And as they deepened their first kiss the twin bands of light twisted around each other like two strands of a rope.

Hermione opened her lips to admit Severus's tongue. She let out a wordless murmur as his tongue swept into her mouth, teasing her mouth and tongue without mercy.

She equaled his passion in her response, her tongue boldly playing against his as their lips moved together in what Severus had promised would be pure, unadulterated passion.

It was unrestrained, undeniable ecstasy.

The twisted band around their joined wrists broke into two, a perfect circle glowing on their skin.

They moved their hands to each other's bodies.

Severus gently leaned Hermione back against the pillows and moved his body over hers. Her hands moved down the front of his chest, over his nipples and down his firm sides. Her hands splayed to explore his back, as he focused all his energy on kissing her senseless.

Supporting himself on his hands, Severus began to lower some of his weight onto Hermione's body.

She spread her legs further and arched beneath him, the tips of her aching breasts brushing against his smooth, hard chest.

She pressed herself firmly against his hardened shaft and lifted her hips in wanton desperation.

This time there was no playful foreplay. There was only the here and the now, and after waiting an entire fortnight for this moment, neither one had the patience or the desire to prolong the wait for what they truly wanted.

Severus thrust into Hermione, burying himself deep inside her.

Hermione let out an inarticulate exclamation and dug her nails into Severus's shoulder blades.

Severus's took his lips away from Hermione's mouth and brought them down on her skin again just above her heart. He then began to move within her dripping heat. His pelvis grinded against hers with each of his powerful thrusts as his teeth, lips, and tongue toyed with her body.

Each kiss on her skin was a different combination.

Lips, tongue, teeth. Tongue, teeth, lips. Teeth, lips, tongue.

And all the while, he thrust into her, masterfully driving her to the edge.

This went on for an indeterminable amount of time. In her current state, Hermione could not judge the time.

Hermione leaned her head back in overwhelming pleasure, running her hands down the length of his spine and then back up to the top of his back to tangle her fingers in the strands of hair behind his neck.

Her body tensed in pleasure and she stretched her left leg out into the air as her grip tightened on Severus's hair and skin as she reached her breaking point.

She shuddered against him as her orgasm rocked her to the core, Severus's name coming from her lips as a breathless shout.

She could not think past the burning white-hot sensations of raw ecstasy. It was as if her brain had completely shut down except for her awareness of the mind-numbing pleasure. In that moment, it was all she knew.

Severus joined her a scant few seconds later.

Hermione gazed at Severus with hooded-eyes as his orgasm ripped through his body.

_I love this man._

Still inside of her, Severus managed a small smile.

"I trust that I made it well worth the wait?"

"Mm, what do you think?"

Severus let out a low laugh.

"You're not allowed to answer a question with question,"

Hermione raised a delicate brow.

"Oh, I'm not, am I?"

"No, you're not."

Hermione let out a light snort.

"You really want to know what I think?" Hermione asked him, a positively wicked grin upon her lips.

"Yes, tell me."

"If this is how you perform after abstaining from sex for two weeks, I think we should abstain for the same amount of time more often, perhaps even longer."

Hermione giggled girlishly.

"Why on earth are you laughing? That's not funny."

The look on Severus's face made Hermione laugh even harder. It was a rare mix of perplexity and horror.

Hermione smacked him playfully in the chest.

"I'm only jesting, I assure you!"

Severus still did not join her in laughter or even crack a half-smile.

Hermione lifted her head and gave him a quick kiss.

Only then did the faintest of smiles grace Severus's lips.

He withdrew from her body and settled on his back.

"Severus, look at your wrist!"

Severus held his left wrist up to his face and noticed that there was a glowing band of pale gold on his skin. It looked like two twisted gold wires had been fused into his skin.

"Is yours the same?"

"Mine's identical to yours. It's a symbol of our bond."

Severus looked at Hermione and saw that there was a question in her eyes.

"No, there was never anything like this regarding Lily and me."

"It's because our bond is a love bond," Hermione said.

Severus nodded.

"There is a much more powerful connection between us," he told her.

There was a period of several seconds' silence before elther one of them spoke again.

"What will happen today?" Hermione asked softly.

Severus held her gaze without blinking.

"You and I will summon Fawkes. I will kill the phoenix, rendering Voldemort unable to use magic, and then I shall put the same cross bow bolt that kills Fawkes in the blackened heart of the creature downstairs."

_So many things could go wrong. The day you've been waiting for is finally here and yet it seems to me like it is much too soon in coming, _thought Hermione.

_Don't do anything without thinking, Severus. I . . . I couldn't bear to lose you._

The Soul Bond between them enabled Severus to hear Hermione's thoughts without using Legilimency.

_I will do everything in my power to ensure that today's events go according to my plan. That I promise you._

**A/N: **How will the day's events really play out? Only two or three more chapters left!


	36. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Dawn came as it did on any other day, the glowing gold circle of the sun rising above the line of the horizon in regal splendor, turning the sky a mix of deep pink and orange in the distance.

Severus did not watch the sun rise.

He stood holding his crossbow, carefully inspecting the weapon's circular sight.

His double life ended today.

By nightfall he would no longer be Severus Snape, trusted spy to the Order of the Phoenix. If he had anything to say about it, he'd be Severus Snape, the man who succeeded in killing the deranged megalomaniac Tom Marvolo Riddle.

The thought was enough to make a cold smile grace his lips.

Hermione came into the room wearing the same outfit she'd worn on the day she had arrived at Voldemort's mansion.

Severus met her gaze. Her expression was the one a person had when they were trying their damndest to look calm and collected but really on the inside they were anything but that.

And when he looked at her his chest tightened with a foreign emotion that he'd known at only one other time in his life.

He loved her with all his heart, as a man should love a woman, cherishingly and without boundaries.

The feeling gave him hope. The hope gave him determination.

He would not fail.

Yes, it would be the most difficult thing he'd ever done, and there would be no room for error, but he would succeed.

And he would spend the rest of his life showing Hermione how much she meant to him.

Severus picked up the crossbow and readied it to fire. He placed it on the ground, and using his right foot as a brace in the crossbow's stirrup, he fitted one of the deadly sharp bolts on the string, pulled the string back and locked it into place. The remaining diamond tipped bolt was secured to its side with a strap around the quiver. When he was done, Severus held the crossbow in his right hand and took his wand from the table next to him.

They would Apparate to a spot within the forest and Call Fawkes with their combined power.

Something deep inside Hermione was trembling. In truth, she'd never been so afraid.

If even one thing went wrong, Severus would lose his life. Though she told herself over and over that she had to stop thinking such horrible thoughts, how could she not think them when she cared for Severus as deeply as she did?

Severus looked into Hermione's eyes.

"It is time to end this," he said resolutely.

Hermione nodded in silence, not trusting her voice to stay steady if she spoke.

Looking into each other's eyes, in perfect synchronization, Hermione and Severus Apparated to a small clearing in the forest.

Hermione knelt on the leaf and moss covered ground. Severus did the same beside her, setting his crossbow on the ground to his right.

Severus took one single steadying breath, and blew it out slowly in perfect calm.

They had rehearsed everything required for the Calling spell during the past few days. Now it was time to execute everything they'd gone over.

Would they succeed? Or would Fawkes be able to sense that Severus meant to kill him and refuse to appear?

Hermione and Severus clasped hands, and Severus gave hers a comforting squeeze before they began the spell.

Severus holding his wand in his right hand and Hermione holding hers in her left, both of them stared at the empty air of the clearing and envisioned Fawkes appearing.

They pointed their wands at the same spot six paces in front of them, their minds focused on the image of Fawkes flying towards them from above.

Hermione's skin tingled with warmth from the spell as she concentrated on mentally asking the phoenix to appear.

_Please, do this for us._

It didn't look like anything was happening.

Hermione knew that patience was one of the primary virtues in the most powerful witches and wizards. And all throughout her years of diligent study she'd been patient. It was what allowed her to succeed so often at practically anything she put her mind to.

But now, frightened as she was, patience was an agonizing torture.

By now they'd been performing the spell for almost five minutes. For Hermione, it truly seemed like forever.

Then, when Hermione began to think that Fawkes would not come, the bright sound of a phoenix call descended down from somewhere far overhead.

Hermione and Severus raised their eyes to the sky and watched as a brilliant ruby red form gracefully sank down to land softly in the clearing.

Fawkes, in all his glory, had arrived.

For several heartbeats, neither Hermione nor Severus dared to move or even breathe.

The phoenix regarded them serenely for several long seconds and then stepped forward. Staring at Severus with intelligent eyes, Fawkes gave him a regal nod.

Hermione stared transfixed.

Slowly, Severus lifted the crossbow to his shoulder.

With expert precision, Severus pinpointed the center of the phoenix's heart in the crosshairs of the sight. Though with Fawkes positioned lower than he was, the angle was wrong for the shot. Fawkes needed to fly into the air so that Severus would have him at a point that was either exactly level with or slightly higher than his shoulder.

The phoenix gazed at him with an undeniable degree of sadness in his dark eyes. Then he stretched out his wings for what would be the last time, and with three powerful beats he was airborne. In one fluid motion, Severus stood up as Fawkes rose into the air.

The phoenix hovered at a spot that was directly parallel with Severus's shoulders.

Again, Severus caught the phoenix's jewel-bright breast in the crossbow's crosshairs. In one breath he readied himself for the shot.

And just before he finished fully exhaling, Severus fired.

The shot had been perfectly aimed and the bolt fired true.

It pierced through Fawkes' feathers, flesh and bone and buried itself deep in the center of his heart.

A single blood-curdling screech rent through the air. It was the most horrific sound that Hermione had ever heard. In the last few seconds that Fawkes was alive, she could feel his white-hot pain in the deepest part of her soul.

For one terrible second, Fawkes hung suspended in mid-air.

She could not look away as Fawkes sank to the earth, blood pouring from his mortal wound and landing on the forest floor.

But before Fawkes' body touched the earth, it dissolved into a thousand burning pinpricks of gold light. The bolt that had killed him fell to the ground with a dull thud. The gold specks filled the air in front of Severus and Hermione and then slowly began to dissipate and fade away.

Within seconds even the lights were gone.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Miles away, Harry's heart burned with intense pain. He would have screamed, had he had the breath to do so. But the pure agony had robbed him of the air that had been in his lungs.

Harry thought he had known pain when Voldemort's presence or magic had affected his scar and caused acute, sharp pain within his skull.

The small part of his brain that could still think straight through this new agony, told him that the worst pain he'd had in his scar was truly nothing compared to this.

He wondered if he was going to die.

But the worst of it was that he didn't even know what was happening to him.

"HARRY!" Molly Weasley yelled frantically, watching Harry cling to the kitchen floor as the pain racked his body.

Ron and Ginny burst into the kitchen at the sound of their mother's scream.

"What happened?" Ron asked, his face paling. Ginny ran to Harry's trembling form. Harry gasped for breath and let out a strangled cry.

"I don't know what's wrong with him," Molly said in an unnaturally high voice, stricken with fearful concern. "I- I was making tea and he was sitting in here talking to me . . ."

Slowly, Harry began to relax. His breathing slowed and came easier. He did not say a word for nearly two minutes.

He raised his head to look at Ron, Ginny, and Mrs. Weasley. His eyes were still clouded with the aftermath of the pain. His face was terribly pale.

"I . . . feel . . . weak." He tensed again and let out a shuddering breath.

"Don't try to stand up, dear." Molly said soothingly. "Just slowly move into a sitting position."

Harry did as she told him, and as soon as he was sitting with his back against the wall, he let out a horrified gasp. It appeared that in his agony, he had wet his trousers.

Molly smiled at him.

"It's alright, dear."

"Was that . . . was that an attack from . . . You-know-who?" Ron ventured to ask.

"I suppose so Ron, only . . . something's . . . _off," _Harry said slowly. "I don't feel right."

Ron frowned. Ginny's eyes grew even more worried.

"Gin, will you go fetch my wand?" Harry asked.

"Sure." She quickly left the room and came back with Harry's wand in hand.

Harry took his wand. And as soon as he touched it his chest tightened in alarm. There was something terribly wrong with his wand. He could feel it as he touched it.

He tried a simple spell.

"Lumos," he said clearly, concentrating with all of his will on the spell.

Nothing happened.

"My power," Harry said disbelievingly. "It's . . . gone. And my wand, there's something terribly wrong with it."

"Let me try," Molly said gently. She took Harry's wand from him and tried casting Lumos as he had.

Again, nothing happened.

Harry saw something terribly unsettling flash in Molly's eyes. Quickly she tried casting the spell again.

No results.

It was as if Harry's wand was just a piece of ordinary wood.

And it truly was, and had been rendered thus at the precise moment of Fawkes' death.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Severus retrieved the fallen crossbow bolt from the ground and reloaded the crossbow.

"Stay here for now," he told her. "I'll come back to you when it's over."

Severus started to walk away from her. Hermione quickly touched his arm.

"A kiss for luck?" she asked him. She gently pulled Severus's head down to hers and placed a gentle lingering kiss on his lips.

She then watched Severus walk away, back towards the mansion to face Voldemort for the last time.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Voldemort's unmistakably pain-filled scream had drawn Bellatrix from her room as quickly as she could manage. Remus trailed behind her, curious to know what had happened to him.

At this hour of the day, Bellatrix was the only Death Eater at the mansion. Severus was away at work at his illegal potions lab under Muggle London's Downing Street and her husband was busy dealing in illegal imports.

Bellatrix burst into the parlor, waiting for Voldemort to say something. But considering the sight that met her eyes, it appeared that speech wasn't something that Voldemort could manage at the moment.

He had a white-knuckle grip on the edge of his onyx desk. Apparently he was having trouble breathing.

"My lord, what happened?" Bellatrix inquired.

Voldemort did not answer.

His wide-eyed gaze was filled with unconcealed agony.

In a strained voice he choked out, "My magic . . . it's drained away."

Bellatrix's eyes widened at this information. So did Remus's, but he kept most of his confusion and surprise from showing on his face.

"But it's not possible," Bellatrix said incredulously.

Her thoughts were quickly interrupted by the sound of a familiar male voice at the threshold of the door.

"Oh it is _quite _possible Bella, I assure you." Severus said with obvious pleasure.

In truth, Severus appreciated the fact that Remus was present for he would be able to take care of the shameless whore while he finished Voldemort.

Bellatrix's eyes took in the crossbow resting on Severus's right shoulder and her expression instantly became one of unrestrained rage.

"YOU BASTARD! I knew you weren't loyal!"

She raised her wand at Severus's heart.

"AVA"—

Her words were cut off by Remus's hand closing around her throat.

Bellatrix's eyes grew huge as she realized the truth of Remus's loyalty.

Remus gave her what could only be described as a wolfish grin. And if he had truly lost his humanity, his smile would have been just as sinister as it was now.

"NO!" Voldemort cried, backing against the wall as Severus moved forward.

Remus slammed Bellatrix into the wall behind her and tightened his grip. She clawed at his wrist with both hands while trying desperately to twist out of his deadly grasp.

"Stupid bitch, did you really think Remus was going to stand there and let you kill me?" Severus asked softly.

Bellatrix gasped for breath, and made a futile attempt to knee Remus in the groin. But he had already anticipated this and had positioned his weight in such a way that Bellatrix had no room to maneuver.

Severus turned his attention back to Voldemort.

"How did you do it?" the once great Dark Lord demanded.

Severus laughed coldly.

"You'd like me to tell you that, wouldn't you?"

Voldemort sank to his knees, too weak from losing all of his power to remain standing.

"The night you murdered Lily, I made a vow that I would kill you myself. I am here now to fulfill it."

"It must have cost you dearly to obtain the means of rendering me helpless. And if I'm right, you too will be destroyed because of this."

"You're truly pathetic, Tom. Really, can you come up with no better last words?"

Severus glanced at Remus. It seemed that Remus was taking his good old time strangling Bellatrix, dragging out her death with pleasure.

"I'll see you in Hell, Severus. Of that you can be certain." Voldemort said coldly.

Severus let out a derisive snort.

"Your reign of terror ends now Tom. My only regret is that I cannot kill you the way you deserve to be killed: slowly, painfully, and without mercy. Though I must admit, killing you this way will still be immensely satisfying."

Less than a second later Severus fired the crossbow bolt that had killed Fawkes into Voldemort's chest. The bolt pierced the center of his chest puncturing the artery that led from the heart.

Bellatrix finally died as Voldemort instinctively gasped for air. Remus turned to Severus and was horrified by the sight that met his eyes.

An identical wound to the one he'd just put in Voldemort's body had appeared on Severus's chest. Severus watched as blood poured freely out of his body, hardly able to comprehend what was happening.

Severus dropped to his knees. He tried to draw breath and found that he couldn't.

This wasn't supposed to happen. He was growing weaker with each passing second.

He fell on his back and his brain vaguely registered the fact that Remus had ripped his shirt open was applying pressure with to his severed artery with his hand.

Was Remus actually pinching the artery together?

He didn't know, and found that his mind was beginning to drift away from consciousness.

One final thought was startling clear in his mind.

He'd never get to see Hermione again.

He tried to focus his gaze on Remus's face. Apparently he was hallucinating in his last moments, for he thought he saw people Apparating around him in the room.

One of them looked like Lily.

"Remus," he choked out weakly. "Tell, . . . Hermione . . . I . . . love her,"

It was then that he heard Hermione's agonized shriek.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

She must have Apparated into the mansion. It was his last thought as he felt himself drifting away, his thoughts and vision dimming to black.

Hermione took Remus's place, both hands pressing desperately on the mortal wound in Severus's chest.

"_Don't die_," she said imploringly. "_Please, don't die. I can't live without you._"

His blood pulsed hot and sticky against her palms. There was so much of it. Hermione pressed her lips against his softly, willing him to live, though the logical part of her brain told her anything she did now was futile. Her tears spilled on Severus's cheek.

Then slowly, Hermione felt Severus's artery mend together beneath her hand. The bleeding lessened and then stopped altogether. As the seconds ticked past, Hermione felt Severus's flesh heal under her touch. The color was beginning to come back to his face.

Hermione let out a little squeal of relief as Severus slowly opened his eyes.

Remus knelt beside Hermione, wondering what had happened between the two of them in the past few weeks.

Remus looked up as a familiar woman's voice called his name.

Lily.

Could it be?

She came out of the growing crowd of people that started appearing in the room ever since the moment of Voldemort's death.

"Remus?" she asked in a shaky voice.

"It's me Lily,"

"What happened?" she asked. She looked down at Severus, back to Remus, and then at the still growing crowd of all the people to have died as a result of Voldemort's magic.

He breathed out a heavy sigh.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"Voldemort came to Godric's Hollow. He wanted to kill Harry. I watched Voldemort kill James…"

"He killed you too," Remus told her softly. "But he didn't kill Harry. There's a lot you need to hear. But now is not the time and this is not the place." Remus led her away from Severus and Hermione.

Severus's strength was rapidly returning. He attempted to sit up but Hermione caught his arms and prevented him from rising.

"Not yet, you don't. You just came back from the brink of death. I hardly think you should be up and walking just yet, whether you feel fine or not."

Severus scowled at her.

It didn't have the effect he desired on her. In fact, just the opposite.

She grinned at him in adoration. She decided to keep it to herself that his look actually turned her on. She'd divulge that little fact later.

"You know you bear a frightening resemblance to Poppy Pomfrey right now."

"Do I?" she asked. "So does that mean you'll obey me?"

The way she said the word 'obey' was entirely too suggestive.

"You'll have to specify what exactly you wish me to do and I'll think about it," he told her with a decidedly wicked undertone.

"Promise me something first," she said growing gravely serious again.

"Anything," he told her truthfully.

"Promise me to never ever have such a close near death experience."

Severus pulled Hermione down to him for a passionate kiss.

"Well, as certain events are out of my hands, and you know that as well as I do, I'll promise you this. I'll never again kill another nearly immortal dark wizard."

Hermione smiled.

"You swear?"

Severus nodded solemnly.

"Good. That'll suffice."

Severus kissed her a second time, caring not a whit that they were in a roomful of people.

They all could stare.

At least they would have gotten a good show.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Ron stared at Harry and stifled a gasp.

"What is it?" Harry asked quickly.

"You're scar, mate! . . . It's . . .it's gone!"

Harry's hand flew to his forehead and sure enough, for the first time in his life it was perfectly smooth and unmarred.

Something had definitely happened.

**A/N: **Just one more chapter to go. Of this story at least, and then things will pick up where they leave off in the sequel. I'm going to take a bit of a break before I start on it though, so I don't get burned out on the story.


	37. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

The connection between Voldemort and his Death Eaters had turned out to be much deeper than anyone could have guessed. For every man and woman with the Dark Mark had died of the same magically inflicted mortal wound that had nearly taken Severus's life. The Dark Mark had linked all the Death Eaters to a deep part of Voldemort's life force. When Voldemort died, so had they.

And Severus would have certainly joined them all had it not been for his powerful Soul Bond with Hermione.

It was the one thing that had saved his soul and his life.

Hermione and Severus had just walked out of the mansion and had started to descend its front steps. The morning sun was bright, and the sky was a beautiful, crystal clear robin's egg blue. There was not a cloud in the sky.

Hermione's chest tightened at the powerful scene before her eyes.

Not only had people come to appear in the mansion's parlor, they also stood all around the edge of the forest. There were so many, certainly they numbered well over one hundred.

Hermione's breath caught in her throat at a flash of white in between the trees.

"Severus, a unicorn!" she said in awe.

Severus stared at the white unicorn stallion that had begun to sniff at the ground inquisitively. Severus's lips turned up into a true smile.

"I think you'll find that there is more than one. Look over there,"

And sure enough, four unicorn foals and five mares were moving into the sunlight from behind the dense trees. As Hermione and Severus watched the forest, the leaves of the trees gradually began to change colour. Leaves that had been a sickly shade of olive green brightened into a lush emerald.

Had the unicorns done it? Or was this some other magic taking place as a result of Voldemort's death?

The people who had returned to life appeared to be disoriented, especially those that could easily be identified as Muggles by their clothing.

Hermione wondered what would happen to those people. Surely they would have a hard time explaining to Muggle society that they just suddenly came back from the dead.

Severus noticed where Hermione was looking.

"The Ministry will be able to find them jobs," he told her.

Hermione looked off to the left and watched as more people suddenly appeared. She then saw something she'd never seen before.

A slender man with long snow white hair had just appeared next to the wall of the mansion. His hair was inhumanly white and seemed to sparkle like a fresh blanket of snow.

He did not look old at all. Hermione would have thought him to be under forty, if she had thought he was human.

His eyes were dark, Hermione couldn't see the exact color from the distance she was at, but she could tell that they weren't brown or black.

The man's ears were slightly larger than a normal man's and were shaped differently. They tapered to a fine point.

"Is he . . ."

"An elf?" Severus asked. "Yes."

Hermione continued to watch the man.

"How could _anyone _call the creatures people use as servants an elf?" Hermione asked hotly.

The man she was looking at was majestic in a way no human could equal.

"Most people live in utter ignorance of their existence. As far as they know, the creatures people use as servants _are_ elves."

"People should know the truth,"

"Given the elf's presence here, I suspect that people will learn the truth quite soon."

"That means I'll have to change something," Hermione muttered to herself.

Severus gave her a questioning look.

"Well, I can't continue with my work on S.P.E.W. I'll have to change it to S.P.G.W."

Severus's eyes widened in understanding. With difficulty, he suppressed a groan.

"You can't be serious," he told her. But when he looked at her face he knew she had meant what she said. "You truly are. You're going to start the Society for the Protection of Gremlin Welfare."

Hermione grinned.

Severus rolled his eyes. Hermione elbowed him lightly in the side.

"Do whatever you want. Just. Don't. Get. Me. Involved."

Hermione was about to reply when Remus called her from a spot in the grass across from where Severus and Hermione were standing.

He had been talking to Lily and James.

"Will the two of you come here?" he asked.

Hermione glanced at Severus to see his expression upon seeing James for the first time in sixteen years. Severus's face revealed nothing. Hermione then looked at the man standing across from Remus.

James's hazel eyes weren't exactly cold, but there was more than a hint of animosity in his gaze. He was staring directly at Severus.

Hermione looked at Severus again.

_James isn't going to be too happy when he finds out that you made Harry lose his ability to do magic, _Hermione told him mentally.

Severus snorted softly.

_Ask me if I care._

Hermione paled. How would she keep the two of them from killing each other?

_I wonder how much he's told them, _Hermione said to him trying to steer Severus's thoughts away from doing James bodily harm. _I'm sure they have some questions for us._

Hermione started down the stairs again and to her relief Severus followed close behind her.

As Severus and Hermione approached Remus, Lily, and James, Remus asked Severus a question.

"I'm glad to see you alive and well, Severus," Remus began.

Hermione and Severus were close enough to hear James's small sound of contempt at Remus's statement.

"Now would you mind telling us what the hell you did?" Remus asked.

"I killed Albus's phoenix in order to render Voldemort incapable of using magic," He stated, not going into any further details.

Remus blinked. Lily looked concerned. And James's eyes said that he believed Severus should have died along with Voldemort.

After a second or two the gazes of Harry's parents fell on Hermione.

Remus let out a nearly silent sigh.

The situation he'd just been placed in was like something out of a very strange dream.

Both Lily and James turned to look at Remus.

"This is Hermione Granger," Remus told them. "She's one of Harry's friends from Hogwarts and is at the top of her class." Remus added, including the last bit to portray Hermione in the best light possible.

Lily had seen Hermione kiss Severus, and Remus could only imagine what was going through Lily's mind right now. He still had no idea what was going on between the two of them.

Ah, well, there would be time enough to hear the full story later on.

Lily gave Hermione a small smile.

"You saved Severus's life," Lily told her.

"Yes, I did," said Hermione, holding the older woman's gaze steadily, without blinking.

Wow, the tension between the two men and two women was a nearly tangible thing.

"I told them a good bit about how Harry had to believe that you were truly loyal to Voldemort because of his connection to him. I told them that Harry believes you kidnapped Hermione to use her as a hostage to prevent Harry from going out and destroying Voldemort's Horcruxes." Remus said. His expression grew pained. "And I told them about Albus's and Sirius's deaths," he said softly.

Severus looked at Remus.

There was still so much that he didn't know.

And Remus knew it too.

"Why?" Remus asked after a beat of silence.

"There was no other way," Severus said at length.

"But the prophecy was that Harry would"— said Remus before Severus interrupted him.

"No. The prophecy was a lie," Severus told him.

"I don't understand how you can possibly say that," Remus told him.

Severus's expression became dark.

"Would you rather I had let things continue as they were?" Severus asked softly. The words that Severus would have said next, _you understand that had I not done anything you would have been forced to share Bellatrix's bed for an indefinite period of time, _remained unspoken.

Remus stiffened as if he'd been physically struck.

"No," he told Severus coldly.

Severus knew what he'd said had been callous, but had needed to stop Remus from pressing him for information here.

This was not the place to reveal all of the details. Let Minerva call an Order Meeting and Severus would explain everything then.

Lily then spoke to Severus for the first time.

"Remus is going to take us to see Harry. I want to talk to you later."

Hermione twitched. Though she didn't say it, Hermione could plainly see from the look in Lily's eyes that she wanted to talk to Severus alone.

Severus looked at her without revealing any emotion.

"Remus is getting married in a few weeks. If I don't see you before then, I'm sure I'll see you at the wedding."

This was clearly not what Lily had expected to hear, especially the bit about Remus getting married.

Remus sighed again.

"It's true," was all he said.

Even James looked perplexed.

"To whom?" James asked.

"Nymphadora Tonks," Remus said to him.

"But you"—James began.

Remus was saved the humiliation of asserting the fact that despite his relationship with Sirius, he _wasn't_ gay, for before James could finish, the elf that Hermione and Severus had seen approached them.

When none of them ran away in terror or gaped at him like a fish, he asked a question.

"Do any of you know where I can find Albus Dumbledore, or in the event of his death, the new Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?" he asked in a mid-range baritone.

For Hermione, the elf's voice was pleasant to listen to. Like Severus's.

They all stared at him without speaking for three full seconds.

"Well, you_ looked_ like a fairly intellectual group of people that would know what I am. But I suppose my judgment was incorrect."

He smiled sadly and turned away.

"No, wait!" Hermione said quickly.

The elf looked back at her.

She noticed that his eyes were a deep storm green.

"Albus died not long ago, but Minerva McGonagall is the school's new Headmistress. We're on our way to see her now, if you'd like to join us,"

The words came out quickly before she had a chance to think about what she was saying.

The elf raised a thin white brow.

"Truly?" he asked.

"Truly," Severus told him.

"I'll only come if this new Headmistress is aware of the existence of my kind. Is she of The Order of the Phoenix?"

"Yes, she is," said Hermione.

"And she is aware that elves exist," said Severus.

"Ah, very good then. Will she be at Hogwarts now?"

"Yes, she should be," Severus told him.

"Will you be Apparating there directly?"

"We were just about to leave when you approached us."

"I'll meet you at the school's front gate in a few seconds,"

A thousand questions were running through all of their heads as they watched as the elf somehow made a rippling oval appear in the air in front of him. The oval had an oily sheen like the surface of a soap bubble. He then walked through the oval and was gone.

"Right then, I suppose we'd better go meet him." Hermione told Severus.

"In a moment," he said to her.

Severus met Remus's gaze.

_I want to be certain you realise that with Fawkes' death, Harry has been rendered incapable of casting any spell, _he said in Remus's mind through Legilimency.

Remus's eyes became intensely solemn.

He nodded curtly, and his expression told Severus that he had already deduced this fact on his own, given his knowledge of Harry's connection to Fawkes.

Remus's expression also told him that the werewolf wanted to speak to him privately in the very near future.

The group then split apart, Hermione and Severus Apparating to Hogwarts and Remus, Lily, and James Apparating to the Burrow.

As soon as they appeared in front of the school's iron gates, they noticed the elf leaning casually against the gate's bars.

"My name is Sheniveer Faerishon," he told them. "Albus wanted me to be the Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor at this school. Unfortunately, my death precluded that from happening."

"My name is Hermione Granger, and this is Severus Snape. He's a potions master and Potions instructor here at the school."

Severus inclined his head formally to Sheniveer.

Hermione's eyes were drawn to the silver pendant of an eight-pointed star hanging around Sheniveer's neck.

The elf looked like a warrior. He wore a braid on the right side of his face. His bare chest was quite sculpted for his slender build and he wore white leather breeches. The legs of the breeches were embroidered with in intricate curving design of leaves in dark pine green. His feet were clad in boots that perfectly matched the thread of the embroidery.

Hermione suddenly noticed that Sheniveer's breeches were spattered with what appeared to be dried blood.

It made her wonder how he had died. She didn't dare to ask.

Severus opened the gates with a muttered spell and he began to lead the way up to the castle.

It was when Sheniveer turned his back that Hermione got a good idea of what had killed him.

His back was marred with dozens upon dozens of long scars, scars that could have only been made by a multi-lashed whip.

Hermione inwardly shuddered.

Sheniveer had obviously had a horrible death.

"I gather you still want to teach here?" Severus asked, privately wondering why on earth someone with such a superior intellect would want to teach at Hogwarts.

"Seeing as how after Voldemort and his men destroyed my village here in Scotland, I have no where else to go, yes, Severus I still would like to teach here."

Severus fell silent at Sheniveer's words.

No one said anything more as they made the trip to Minerva's office.

When at last they stood outside of her office door, Severus wondered if Minerva's heart would be able to handle the epic shock she was about to receive.

She answered the door after a brief moment and stared first at Sheniveer then at Hermione and Severus, and then back at Sheniveer.

For a second, Hermione was afraid she might faint where she stood.

Finally she spoke.

"Come in,"

She led the three of them inside and sank somewhat shakily into the chair behind her desk.

"Please, tell me your name," she told Sheniveer.

He introduced himself and Minerva let out a small gasp.

Severus and Hermione looked at one another.

Had Minerva just recognized Sheniveer's name?

"Albus knew you well," she told the elf.

Sheniveer gave her a regal nod.

"He was very much looking forward to having you teach at the school. But then three weeks before the start of term two years ago he told me you'd been killed."

_And that horrible Umbridge woman had to take your place,_ Minerva thought silently.

"Albus was right. I died at Voldemort's hand. But first he forced me to watch as one of his men murdered my wife and three daughters," Sheniveer's eyes grew hard and distant. "My youngest was only eighteen months old."

"But then…?" Minerva darted a look at Severus.

"Voldemort is now dead, Minerva."

At this she gasped quite audibly. Severus continued without a pause.

"At the time of his death, everyone Voldemort murdered was instantly brought back to life."

"How is it even possible?" she asked him, her eyes round with shock.

"There's a lot to explain," Severus said softly.

"Then start explaining Severus. I want to know what happened now!"

"I'll leave the three of you alone to talk," Sheniveer told them. He left the office quietly.

Minerva stared at Hermione, the look on her face plainly showed that she was wondering why on earth she was in her office at all.

"I'm not leaving," Hermione told her firmly.

Minerva looked at Severus as if she expected him to order Hermione to leave.

Of course, he did no such thing.

For the next hour, Severus explained everything from the beginning, starting with why the prophecy about Harry wasn't true and moving on to why killing Fawkes was the one and only way of killing Voldemort.

He told her that Harry was now completely stripped of his magical power.

Finally he explained how Hermione factored into things.

At Severus's admission of having bonded his soul with Hermione, Hermione thought that the old witch was going to have a fit of apoplexy.

It was obvious that Minerva knew, without having to ask, that Severus and Hermione had slept together.

It seemed like she expected them to be ashamed of it.

That alone, actually made Hermione want to laugh at her.

Instead she said, "Look Professor McGonagall, I _am _of legal age. You do realise that, don't you?"

Minerva sniffed disapprovingly.

She didn't say anything for a very long time.

"I was going to offer you your old job back, Severus," Minerva said at length. "Slughorn won't do it another year, and if Sheniveer takes the Defense position, I still have to fill the positions for Transfiguration, Divination, and History of Magic. Trewlaney quit and I sacked Binns. The students' marks in his class were lower than in any other class offered at the school. But—I hardly think it's appropriate to do so now, unless you solemnly promise me something."

Severus's expression became questioning.

"The truth is that I need a potions instructor that is knowledgeable and knows how to take charge in a classroom full of clueless first years. With school starting in just over a month and a half, I need to find someone to fill the position as soon as possible. You are the only one who fits the bill, Severus. I want you back here at the start of term.

"But I will not have it in the newspapers that one of my professors is having a relationship with one of the seventh year students. You two will make damn sure to keep your relationship quiet, do you understand?"

"Yes, of course," Severus told her.

"I mean it, Severus. I'm trusting you and Hermione on this against my better judgment. Don't make me regret my decision."

"The school won't find out," Hermione told her a little irately.

Really, did Minerva think she was going to have sex with Severus someplace like the stairwell where anyone could come by and catch them together?

"Good," she told them. "I'll call an Order Meeting for sometime within the next couple of days. I'll want you to explain everything you told me to the rest of the Order at that time," Minerva told him sternly. "Well, almost everything," she amended.

Minerva then let out a long and weary sigh.

"Now where has Sheniveer gotten off to?"

As soon as the word left Minerva's lips, the office door opened and Sheniveer reappeared. It was obvious that he'd bathed in the time that Severus had told his story to Minerva.

All the blood was gone from his breeches.

But how had he known where to go?

Sensing what they were thinking, Sheniveer smiled enigmatically.

"Elves have more acute senses than humans do. And my inborn magic can lead me to water."

"The Defence position is all yours," Minerva told him.

"Thank you," Sheniveer told her warmly.

"Now if you'll just go over some paperwork with me . . ." the headmistress said to the elf.

Sheniveer approached the desk to sit down across from Minerva. Severus and Hermione took their leave of the headmistress.

When they were in the hall, Hermione breathed a sigh of relief.

"All things considered, I thought that went rather well," said Severus.

"It helped that Albus had previously mentioned Sheniveer to Minerva," Hermione told him. "Things would have been a lot more difficult if she'd never heard of him,"

"I was hoping that with the way he was speaking Albus knew him."

Hermione sighed and leaned against Severus. He slipped his arm around her waist.

"I'm tired," she said softly.

"At least you'll be able to sleep in your own bed tonight," he told her.

As soon as the words came out of his mouth, she looked at him sharply.

She stared at him without speaking for a few seconds.

"You. Almost. Died. Today," she told him slowly. "I don't know if you can imagine what that did to me. I'm not letting you out of my sight anytime in the foreseeable future."

"You're parents still think that you're pretending to be my captive. Don't you think they want to see that you're all right?"

Hermione looked at him, staring deep into his eyes.

"Do you want me to go?" she asked, almost inaudibly.

"No, Hermione I don't. I'm just not selfish enough to keep you with me without being certain that you wouldn't rather visit your family before the start of term."

Hermione smiled.

"In this case you're allowed to be selfish, Severus. I'll send a letter to my mum and dad in the morning letting them know that I'm okay."

"What are you going to tell them?"

"Would it be all right with you, if I didn't immediately tell my parents that I'm going to spend the rest of my life with you? That's going to be such a shock for them and I'd rather wait until after graduation to explain things. I think they'll understand better if I tell them then."

"Hermione, are you certain that's a good idea?"

"I know it's too early to tell them now. They would think that you somehow coerced their baby girl into something she really didn't want to do. If I wait, they'll see that I truly love you."

Severus looked at her and his expression grew intense.

"Hermione, I want you to know that nothing could ever change my feelings for you. Remember that I didn't choose to fall in love with Lily. The feelings between us were manufactured through Albus's spell. I cared for her deeply, but my passion for her couldn't hold a candle to my passion for you. I _chose _to fall in love with you. And it's one of the few decisions I've made in my life that I know from the bottom of my heart that I'll never regret."

Hermione gave him a feminine smile.

"I believe you, Severus."

He smiled back at her.

"I'm glad you do because I have a feeling Lily might try to persuade me to go back to her."

"I've told you this more than once, and I'll tell you again: I trust you, Severus."

"I know. I just needed you to know that Lily has no power over me."

"Once you let her know that there's no hope for the two of you, she'll stay away from you if she knows what's good for her."

"If she's the same person she was sixteen years ago, she'll respect my decision."

Hermione nodded.

"Let's hope she hasn't changed," she told him.

"Even if she has, you'll still be the one I love."

Severus then tilted her chin up and kissed her deeply.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Remus left the Burrow with a pounding headache. Harry had thrown the shouting fit of his life upon hearing that he'd been lied to about Hermione's kidnapping and that it was Severus's fault that he was now permanently without magical power.

Harry had yelled, cried, and had even thrown a couple of good punches, one of which had connected with the right side of Remus's chest.

This had gone on for a solid twenty minutes, and then Remus had forced Harry to sit down so that he could give him the news about his parents.

At first, Harry had accused Remus of lying to him about it. After all, he'd had no qualms about lying to him in regard to Hermione's supposed kidnapping, Harry made a point of telling him.

There had been quite a good number of 'I hate you's and at least one 'I fucking hate you,'

Remus wouldn't be surprised if Harry woke up in the morning and found that he had no voice.

It had taken the sight of Lily and James walking into the room to finally shut Harry up.

He'd then started crying again, but for a totally different reason.

At the moment they were still having their tearful reunion. And his parents certainly had a lot to catch up on.

Remus sighed. He now stood outside the front door of his flat.

Nymphadora only worked half days now and she had stayed at the flat during his absence.

He hoped he would find her inside.

He unlocked the door and went in, setting his keys on the table by the door.

He found Nymphadora sitting on the couch, reading the book _What to Expect When You're Expecting._

She immediately sprang from her seat and rushed to meet him by the door.

"You're home," she said softly, studying his face to see his emotions. "I thought you might be gone a long time. Until Harry faced Voldemort for the last time."

"I'm home," he told her, equally softly. "It's all over. I'm no longer at risk to fall under Fenrir's control."

He held out his arms and she walked into his embrace.

"What happened?"

"Shhhh,"

Remus held Nymphadora without speaking for awhile, content just have her in his arms. He needed the comforting physical contact.

And Nymphadora was happy to be in his arms again.

"I missed you," she said into his chest after a few minutes of silence.

Remus couldn't speak past the lump that had formed in his throat. His first tears fell on top of Nymphadora's head.

He swallowed hard.

"I missed you too."

Nymphadora must have felt Remus's tears land in her hair, for she shifted her position and looked up at him.

"Remus, what happened to you?" she asked with a concern that could have only been borne from the deepest love.

Remus closed his eyes and held Nymphadora against him.

It was a while before he could speak.

"I was forced into having sex with Bellatrix Lestrange."

Silence.

She stared into his eyes.

"I don't know what to say," she said quietly. "I know what an agonizing Hell that must have been for you."

Remus only nodded as more tears came.

Nymphadora tightened her embrace.

"I understand that you had to do what you did to keep Severus, Hermione, and yourself alive. And I could never hold it against you."

After another stretch of nearly a minute's silence she spoke again.

"Where is Bellatrix now?"

"She's dead."

Nymphadora looked at him the unspoken question of how she'd died clear in her eyes.

In reply Remus dropped his voice so low Nymphadora could barely hear him.

"I killed her."

"Oh Remus," she said, tears forming in her eyes in pain at what he had gone through.

"Voldemort is dead as well,"

"What?"

"Severus killed Fawkes. That stripped Voldemort of all his power because his wand contained one of Fawkes' tail feathers. Severus was then able to kill Voldemort."

Nymphadora's eyes widened in shock.

"It appears that with his death, every spell he's ever done has been reversed and everyone he's murdered has come back from the dead."

Nymphadora blinked once, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.

"Lily and James?" she asked.

"They're with Harry now. Harry's wand also contained one of Fawkes' feathers. He's no longer able to do magic."

"Have you told him that we've been lying to him about Hermione yet?"

Remus nodded.

"He told me he hated me."

"He didn't mean it,"

"I think he might have, at least for a while."

Nymphadora leaned her cheek against Remus's chest.

"I love you," she whispered fiercely.

"I love you too," he told her softly. "I love you, too."

Remus chose not to tell her about what Severus had said to him when he had thought he was dying or that he'd seen Hermione kiss him on the lips before he'd led Lily and James outside.

He had a feeling that Severus would prefer it if as few people as possible knew about his feelings for Hermione.

And Remus wouldn't say anything, because no matter what Severus might say sometimes, he found that he had come to value the potions master as a friend.

It was a friendship that had come from trusting the man with preventing him from losing his humanity, and trusting him to get him out of Voldemort's mansion as soon as it was possible.

He hoped that Severus had a good explanation.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Taenara and Draco stood at the edge of the forest by the mansion that had been Voldemort's headquarters. Taenara was stroking the neck of a unicorn, while She and Draco watched as Ministry officials attempted to explain things to the Muggles that had been in the group of people who had returned to life after Voldemort's death.

"You really had nothing to do with that?" Draco asked the goddess seriously.

"I really didn't, Draco." She told him. "Why would I lie?"

"You wouldn't, I know. But if you didn't make it happen, what did?"

"I didn't create everything. There are laws of the universe that even I don't understand. This is one of them."

"People are going to think that there's a prosperous time of peace ahead," Draco told Taenara.

"Yes, unfortunately that's true. The Fates' are going to use that to their advantage. Few will expect their next attack on the magical world."

"I will."

Taenara smiled.

"There will be another to help you. An elf by the name of Sheniveer Faerishon. He's been an ally of mine for many years and was going to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts starting your fifth year. Unfortunately, Voldemort tortured him to death before he could come to the school. The Fates stopped him because they didn't want him at Hogwarts. But you know what?" Taenara asked with a satisfied smile.

"What My Lady?"

"Sheniveer came back to life today. Minerva McGonagall's just given him the Defence Against the Dark Arts position for the coming year. And this time the Fates aren't going to kill him before the start of term."

"I'm glad to hear that I won't be alone," Draco told her.

Taenara's expression became somber.

"I wouldn't want you to be the only one at your school who knew me when the Fates' next dark force decides to introduce itself. You'll need a powerful ally. Sheniveer will be able to help you tell Severus and Hermione of my plan for them."

Draco nodded.

"You will visit them before too long, right?"

Taenara smiled sadly.

"Before too long? Yes. Unfortunately the Fates' decree was that I am completely forbidden from revealing my existence to any witch or wizard. I got away with revealing myself to Sheniveer because technically he wasn't a wizard. But then the Fates succeeded in killing him to prevent him from helping me. The penalty for me appearing to you was the death of Albus Dumbledore."

Draco met Her gaze in grim acknowledgement.

"How much worse than Voldemort will the next being be?"

Taenara sighed.

"I'm afraid it will be much worse. And whatever it is it will certainly be much harder to defeat."

The entire wizarding world would be aware of Voldemort's demise by nightfall. And as there had been sixteen years ago, there would be joyous celebrations for the next several weeks.

Toasts would be made to the coming years of peace and freedom.

After years of being frightened of becoming Lord Voldemort's next victim, people would finally let their guard down.

And then the Fates would turn the world upside down.

For what was to come next would be ten times more terrible than any foe the magical world of Britain had ever faced.

**A/N: **Wow, quite a set-up for the sequel, huh? So is Lily the same person she was before her death? Or has she changed? Who's going to fill the remaining positions at Hogwarts? And who exactly, is the next villain going to be?

Please understand that I am going to take a break for eight to ten weeks or so before beginning to post the sequel.

I hope all of you who enjoyed Unlikely Partners will stay with me for the sequel. :D

Thanks to everyone who reviewed and to everyone who has me on their favorites list!


End file.
